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PARTNERS THREE 















PARTNERS 

THREE 

A NOVEL 

BY 

VICTOR MAPES 

Author of “Lon Ccesar's Return “ Capt. 
Barrington “ The Undercurrent 



NEW YORK 4 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 





LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

MAH 30 1«0S 

5 Copi’ri|frtt Entry 
LASS qJ, Me, No. 


CoPYBIGHT, 1909, BY 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 


All rights reserved 


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April, 1909 


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4 



A. L. M. 









. 'v.v. •: , ■ ■ . 






PARTNERS THREE 



PARTNERS THREE 


CHAPTER I 


Y ESTERDAY was the second an- 
niversary of my arrival here in a 
cell at Sing Sing. I figured it out 
that I shall have nearly two years 
more, at the lowest calculation, making the 
maximum allowance for good behaviour. How 
I came to be brought here, what crime I com- 
mitted, how I was caught and tried, are matters 
which have very little to do with the story I 
am starting out to tell. I will touch upon them 
later on at the proper place if, indeed, I am able 
to get on so far with my tale. 

It seems rather silly that I should have the 
presumption to sit down and undertake the 
writing of a book. But, after all, it can do me 
no harm to try. I can tear the pages up after 
J. have written them, if I choose, and no one 
will be the wiser, or I can keep them to thumb 
over in days to come, when some of the memo- 
ries that are now so clear in my mind might 
fade away without some written reminder. 
Those memories are indescribably sweet to me 
now, as I sit here day after day, surrounded 
by stone walls and bars of iron, No matter 


2 PARTNERS THREE 

what the future may have in store for me, they 
will always remain, I am sure, the most cher- 
ished treasures of my life. 

It is somewhat odd that if this story is to 
have any beginning and end at all, it will begin 
and end, so far as my own participation in it is 
concerned, amid the surroundings of prison life. 

Four years ago, last May, I was an inmate in 
the House of Refuge, a reformatory institution, 
as it is called, or a penitentiary for the young, 
which is built on an island in the East River, 
lying off the upper part of New York City. 
I had been there nearly two years at the time; 
I had no family to visit me or inquire about 
me, not a friend in the world outside of the 
island, no place to go to, if the authorities 
took it into their heads to set me free. My 
name at the House of Refuge was “ No. 343 ” ; 
at least, that was the only name used to desig- 
nate me. This is the custom. Each boy is 
given a number on the books when he is brought 
in, and is known only by that number until his 
discharge. In the course of my two years 
there I formed two friendships. One was a Jew 
boy; the other, Irish. The Jew called me 
“ Ikey,” and the Irish boy, “ Pat.” 

My real name is Patrick Isaac Ennis, and 
I was sent to the House of Refuge for being 
one of a gang of counterfeiters. This has very 


PARTNERS THREE 3 

little to do with my story, and a practised 
novelist would probably leave it all out and 
begin with a description of the two strange 
and handsome visitors that dropped down upon 
the institution one day, as from the sky. But 
if I felt that I had to begin my tale with an 
artistic flourish, and arrange events with an eye 
to impressing an imaginary reader, I should 
never be able to get on at all. The only guide 
and teacher I ever had, in the matter of writ- 
ing, encouraged me always to be simple and 
natural and to try to put into words, with as 
little labour as possible, the thoughts and feel- 
ings that came to my mind. That is all I shall 
try to do throughout this story. 

I will put down, then, in as few words as 
I can, how I came to be sent to the House of 
Refuge. 

My father, William Patrick Ennis, was a 
stonecutter, and from what little I know about 
him, he was a thrifty, hard-working man. He 
was very skilful with his hands, in all manner 
of ways, and about the only recollections I 
have of him are associated with pieces of car- 
pentry work and wood carving that he used to 
do by the light of the lamp in our dining-room 
after mother had cleared away the evening 
meal. He made little boxes, cabinets, wall 
brackets, and other things of the most ingen- 
ious workmanship, which filled me with wonder. 


4 PARTNERS THREE 

My earliest ambition was to become a carpenter, 
and my father encouraged this bent by giving 
me a set of tools and teaching me how to use 
them. I can also remember that he drew pic- 
tures of animals and funny men and that he 
spent much time and patience in teaching me 
how to draw. My father died when I was about 
eight years old; he was killed by the collapse 
of a wall where he was at work. All I can 
remember of this is the awful grief displayed 
by my mother, when his body was brought into 
the house on a stretcher. Her piercing shrieks 
and wild lamentations, as she rushed about from 
room to room, completely terrified me. 

My father, it seems, had saved up some 
money, and his life was fairly well insured 
through some labour association. In addition 
to this, my mother, with the help of a lawyer, 
collected quite a tidy sum from the building 
company. Mother was a very capable and 
resourceful woman, and after the first outburst 
of grief, she quickly set about repairing the 
loss of her bread-winner. We moved to a larger 
and more attractive house, where mother took in 
single men for boarders. Everything was kept 
spick and span, and none of the rooms were 
ever long vacant. In addition to her boarders, 
she took in sewing and trimmed hats. My 
cousin, Rachel, helped her with this work and 
came to live in the house with us. Later on, 


PARTNERS THREE 5 

another girl was brought in to work by the 
day and the house became a veritable dress- 
making establishment. I was crowded out of 
my little bed-room by the clothes and sewing 
machines, and put to bed on a cot in the attic. 
I did not mind this change. I took my box of 
tools there with me, made a carpenter’s bench, 
and accumulated a stock of fine wood. Many 
times when I was supposed to be sleeping quietly, 
if any one had climbed up to the attic, they 
would have found me in my night clothes, with 
a pair of worsted slippers on my feet and a 
lighted candle on* the carpenter’s bench, work- 
ing away at some childish creation. During 
all this time, my determination to become a 
carpenter never wavered. 

I have not mentioned yet that my mother was 
a Jewess. It is doubtless to this fact that I 
owe the incongruity of my names — Patrick 
Isaac. At the time of my birth, my mother, 
it seems, had no liking for the name of Patrick 
and had elected to call me Isaac Abraham. My 
father was bitterly opposed to both these names 
and wanted me to be William Patrick, Jr. I 
have heard the incident discussed many times. 
It was repeated throughout my young life 
whenever any comment was made concerning 
my names, which were a natural cause for 
comment. Mother was a large woman and very 
determined. She managed to get the best of 


6 PARTNERS THREE 

father in most things. But in the matter of 
my names father refused to give in, so that 
finally a compromise was reached on “ Patrick 
Isaac.” 

I was eleven years old when mother took her 
second husband. He was a Frenchman, Adolphe 
Francisque Vipont. He was a very good-looking 
man, with a pointed black moustache, and oily 
black hair, brushed straight back from his 
forehead. He had been one of our boarders 
and mother had shown him special attentions, 
almost from the start. He was several years 
younger than she, very gay and witty in his 
manner and conversation, and he had a fine 
singing voice. I remember when a piano was 
brought into the house for his benefit. 'After 
that, nearly every evening after supper, Mon- 
sieur Vipont would sit down at the piano and 
sing all sorts of songs, mostly in French, but 
sometimes in broken English. The funny ex- 
pressions of his face, the antics he used, and 
the odd sound of the words never "failed to en- 
thrall me. 

No sooner had mother become Madame Vi- 
pont, than a sweeping change was effected in 
our household arrangements. The boarders 
were sent away, dressmaking abandoned, Rachel 
went back to her family in Brooklyn, and the 
large and once so busy house was transformed 
to a quiet love nest for the undisturbed bliss 


PARTNERS THREE 7 

of Monsieur and Madame Vipont, with Olga, 
the cook, in the kitchen and Patrick Isaac in 
the garret. 

Monsieur Vipont was an engraver. He re- 
ceived quite a large salary from a company 
that manufactured bank notes and stock certifi- 
cates. After his marriage to my mother, as 
time wore on, he and I got to be first-rate 
friends. He took an interest in my carpentry 
work and showed me how to make boxes with 
brass 'hinges and brass tops on which he en- 
graved fantastic designs. I found that I could 
sell these boxes at a shop on Third Avenue for 
a dollar apiece, and this filled me with a sense 
of pride and importance. On my birthday, 
Monsieur presented me with a set of engraver’s 
tools and with the money I made I bought 
ebony, mahogany, rosewood and brass fittings 
for more boxes. Under Monsieur’s influence, 
my ambition gradually changed and I decided 
that I would become an engraver. Monsieur 
knew how to draw much better than my father; 
he made designs for me to copy and encouraged 
me in making pictures. One picture of mine 
pleased him very much. He made a frame for 
it and mother hung it in our dining-room. She 
showed it to a friend of hers, one day, in my 
presence, and Monsieur, who was there also, 
patted me on the head and made my cheeks bum 
by announcing that I had remarkable talent for 


8 PARTNERS THREE 


a little boy, and was going to make a great en- 
graver when I grew up. 

As his interest in me increased, he took to 
teaching me French songs and then he began 
talking to me in French. Little by little, I 
learned to understand him in his own language. 
I did not imagine that this would ever serve 
me any useful purpose, but it so happened 
that my knowledge of French was a thing that 
decided my fate at a crucial moment and pro- 
cured for me the greatest happiness I shall ever 
know. 

Monsieur Vipont had two faults. He was a 
gambler by nature and he was very fond of 
absinthe. In the end, they proved his undoing. 
In three years, after his marriage to my 
mother, he had gambled away the last cent of 
her money and there were many stormy scenes 
in our house. He was too much for mother, 
however. She could not resist him, and if he had 
insisted, I believe she would have sold the last 
piece of furniture and the clothes off her back. 
She was spared this humiliation; for, just at 
this time, she was stricken with a violent fever 
and after a short illness she died. In the mean- 
time, Monsieur had lost his position at the 
engraving company. He drank heavily and 
often frightened us at the house by his queer 
looks and behaviour. 

After mother’s funeral, everything in the 


PARTNERS THREE 9 

house had to be sold at auction. I did not know 
what was to become of me and Monsieur did not 
know, either. He said he was going away, for a 
time, and could not take me with him. I was 
then fourteen; I had gone regularly to the 
public schools and had stood well in my classes ; 
I could draw and engrave and was handy with 
tools, and I could speak French. I suppose I 
could have got a job of some kind, sooner or 
later, but there was no one to get it for me. I 
did not want to go to my Aunt Rebecca’s, 
in Brooklyn. I hated her and she did not want 
me; but after the furniture was taken from 
our house, there was nothing else to be done. 
So over to Brooklyn I went, determined to get 
away and shift for myself at the first oppor- 
tunity. 

Aunt Rebecca lost no time in getting me a 
job, as a grocer’s boy, for which I was paid 
two dollars and a half a week. She took every 
cent of this from me, in payment, she said, 
for my board. I stayed there a month, feeling 
desperate and rebellious and trying to hit on 
some plan by which I could escape from my 
bondage. 

One night, when I came back from the 
grocer’s, I found Monsieur Vipont waiting for 
me at Aunt Rebecca’s. He took me to one 
side and asked me whether I wished to go with 
him and share his fortunes. It was risky busi- 


IO PARTNERS THREE 

ness, but it might make him rich. In that case, 
he would take me to France and I should become 
a gentleman. If things went wrong, there was 
no telling what might happen to us. It was 
for me to decide. 

The idea of something dangerous and ex- 
citing thrilled me with joy. I told him how 
glad I would be to go with him, and the matter 
was settled. We left Aunt Rebecca’s that night, 
crossed the river, and took a train out into the 
country. We got off at a little station, after 
a short ride, and walked half a mile over 
a lonely road till we came to a dingy-looking 
house at the edge of the woods. Monsieur 
Vipont knocked three times on the back door 
with his cane and it was opened by an Italian, 
who carried a lantern. 

This house proved to be what is known in 
the newspapers as a “ counterfeiters’ den.” 
Down in the cellar, were a printing press, steel 
plates, engravers’ tools, and small bundles of 
paper, — all that was needed, in fact, to turn 
out five- and ten-dollar bills, by the hundred. 

I never left this house for ten days. Monsieur 
Vipont and the Italian were usually absent, in 
the day time, and all of our work was done at 
night. I quickly learned to do my share and 
received only words of praise for what I did. 
On the eleventh day, just as the sun was setting 
and I was alone in the house, there came a loud 


PARTNERS THREE n 


knocking on 'the door, which was not in accord- 
ance with the signal agreed upon. I made no 
noise, as I had been instructed to do in case of 
such an emergency. The knocking was re- 
peated many times and then the door was forced 
open, with violence, and I found myself in 
the hands of detectives and policemen. The 
counterfeiters’ game had been discovered and 
one of the confederates had turned state’s evi- 
dence. Monsieur Vipont and the Italian were 
both arrested when they came to the house that 
night and several other members of the gang 
were captured the following day. 

Monsieur Vipont was sent to prison for ten 
years. It was discovered at the trial that he 
had already served a term in jail in France, 
before coming to this country. I was sent to 
the House of Refuge, being at the time a little 
over fourteen years old. 


CHAPTER II 


I T was on the ninth of May, of my second 
year at the House of Refuge, that the 
strange event occurred which was to 
change everything for me. In the after- 
noon, we ended the day’s work with a military 
drill on the parade grounds. The superin- 
tendent and his wife nearly always came out 
and stood by the benches under the chestnut 
trees to witness it, and they were frequently 
accompanied by visitors, friends of the super- 
intendent, or a trustee and his guests. It was 
here that the institution showed itself in its 
brightest and most pleasing aspect. We were 
glad to be seen and admired, and the more 
spectators there were, the better we liked it. 

On this particular afternoon, there were only 
two visitors. One was a tall, fine-looking man, 
who wore a large-brimmed soft hat and carried 
himself in such a way as to start the boys whis- 
pering that he must be an army Officer. He had 
his daughter with him, or at any rate, a girl 
of sixteen or seventeen, who wore a light blue 
dress and a large black hat with flowers on it. 

From the beginning, I had won the praise of 
our drill masters for the way I took to the exer- 
cises. I was quick with my hands and it came 
12 


PARTNERS THREE 13 

natural to me to keep time. At the end of my 
first year, I had been put in charge of squads 
of new-comers, to break them in, and now I had 
just been promoted to the highest honour on 
the parade grounds, that of leading the “ silent 
drill.” Herman Goldstein, who preceded me, 
had finished his term at the institution, the 
previous week, and obtained a job with a 
plumber. The silent drill was the last thing we 
did before the flag came down. All the com- 
panies were lined up on three sides of a square, 
while I, as leader, was stationed in the centre. 
There was no music and no commands. At a 
given signal, it was for me to go through the 
movements, while all the others followed in 
unison. 

I was by nature, I think, a rather shy or timid 
boy, and each day, when I took my place in the 
centre of the square, a feeling of self-conscious- 
ness seized hold of me to such an extent that it 
was all I could do to keep my wits. I dare say 
it would have worn away, in time, but, that 
afternoon, my nervousness was not a bit less 
than it had been, on the first day. It seemed 
to me that it would be terrible if anything went 
wrong in the presence of that “ army officer ” 
and the girl in the blue dress. 

Something did go wrong. When the drill was 
about half over, my left hand slipped its hold 
on the gun, in one of the quick shifts from right 


i 4 PARTNERS THREE 

to left. I made a frantic effort to prevent a 
catastrophe, but it was no use; the gun flew 
from my hands and went to the ground, with 
a bang. I rushed to pick it up, and fell sprawl- 
ing on top of it ; my chin landed on the barrel, 
and the knock was hard enough to half stun me. 

When I gathered myself together and scram- 
bled to my feet, the drill master had run up to 
me. He asked me whether I was hurt. 

“ No,” I said, “ my hand slipped.” 

He looked me over very sternly, for a minute, 
and asked me whether I felt like going on with 
the drill. My head was humming and there were 
tears in my eyes, but I stammered out, instinc- 
tively, “ Oh, yes, I’m all right.” 

“ Take your place,” he commanded, “ and 
begin again.” 

I drew myself together and saluted and he 
returned my salute. He marched off to his 
position; I stepped into mine and waited for the 
signal. Then, curiously enough, my nervous- 
ness seemed to vanish. I led the drill, as easily 
and methodically as if I had been practising 
by myself in the yard. 

When we had finished parading and re- 
turned to our quarters, I was called out by the 
overseer and told to report to the superintend- 
ent’s room. I had not the faintest notion of 
what was in store for me. I imagined it was 
some sort of a reprimand for my blunder at the 


PARTNERS THREE 15 

drill. When I reached the outer office, however, 
I found three of the boys already there and two 
more followed me in. They all began asking 
one another what was up, when the superin- 
tendent opened the door and informed us that 
it was a question of a job. The gentleman in- 
side wished to have a look at us. We got in line 
and were marched into the room, and halted in 
a row. 

Standing by the superintendent’s table was 
the tall gentleman who had been a spectator at 
the parade. The girl in blue was behind him, a 
little to one side. We looked at them and they 
looked at us. I will not attempt just yet to 
describe their appearance in detail. Fate willed 
that I was to see much of them in days to come 
and there will be plenty of opportunity to 
comment on their looks at another time. It is 
enough to say that the gentleman could not fail 
to impress you as very distinguished looking, 
very easy and graceful in his manner, with 
bright, kindly, laughing eyes. He had light 
hair and a reddish beard that came to a point 
and was trimmed close to the sides. The girl 
seemed to me, at the first glance, the loveliest 
creature I ever beheld. She had dark hair, 
large dark eyes and a modest, gentle, smiling 
way that made her seem quite different from 
most girls. 

The superintendent whispered to the gentle- 


16 PARTNERS THREE 

man and referred to a sheet of paper which 
apparently contained our records. When they 
had finished consulting it, the gentleman turned 
to his daughter. She had been standing mod- 
estly apart, all this time, gazing at us slowly, 
one after the other. It was easy to see from 
the expression of her face that she pitied us all. 
At the same time, she seemed a little embar- 
rassed to find herself being stared at by a lot 
of boys. 

Her father evidently asked her what she 
thought of us, for they kept looking along the 
line, as they talked together in a low voice. 
Mickey Flanagan, whom I have before referred 
to as one of my best friends on the island, was 
on the other end of the line from me. He was 
a big, strong fellow, nearly six feet tall, with 
black hair and a very red face. He had lived 
most of his life in the country and had a 
broken nose and a funny looking scar on his 
cheek, where a horse had kicked him. Most of 
the talk between the man and the girl seemed to 
be about Mickey. They did not waste much 
time looking at the other boys, but kept turn- 
ing back to him. 

I was the smallest boy in the line, and rather 
thin, too. I had a pale, freckled face and red 
hair, which grew so thick that it stood out from 
my head, on all sides, like the bristles of a bottle 
cleaner. 


PARTNERS THREE 17 

I mention these things, because, as I look 
back on the scene, it seems very strange that I 
should have been considered at all. It must 
have been fate. The older I get, the more con- 
fident I am that it is folly to seek any other 
explanation for most of the important things 
that happen in our lives. I have read a great 
many wise books in the last few years, espe- 
cially books dealing with science and art. They 
all seem to assume that everything in this world 
is logical — that such and such a result neces- 
sarily follows from such and such a cause. Life 
seems to me altogether different. In my own 
life, I am sure, and in the lives of other people 
whom I have known most intimately, very few 
of the things that count most have been in the 
least bit logical. Take my mother’s case. Why 
should a woman of her resourceful and practical 
nature have come to the end she did ? A dozen 
other examples come to my mind, but what use is 
it to cite them? It is enough to say that many 
of the happenings in this story will be appar- 
ently in defiance of logic and without an ex- 
planation. I shall simply try to tell them as 
they actually occurred. 

After the scene of inspection, which I have 
described, all the boys were marched out of the 
room, with the exception of Mickey. It seemed 
as good as settled that the job, whatever it was, 
had been awarded to the big Irish boy. He 


18 PARTNERS THREE 


would be leaving us in a day or two, and I knew 
I should miss him a great deal. That, no doubt, 
had something to do with the feeling of loneli- 
ness and disappointment which came over me, 
as I started out, along the corridor. But the 
truth of the matter is that from the moment I 
entered the superintendent’s room and had a 
good look at that man and the girl in blue, I 
yearned to meet with their favour. Something 
seemed to tell me that happiness was in their 
keeping and an opportunity such as would 
never come into my life again. 

I had taken only a few steps along the corri- 
dor when I heard my name called out behind me. 

“Hey— 343!” 

It was the superintendent’s clerk. He beck- 
oned me back and told me to wait in the outer 
office. After a few minutes, the door opened and 
Mickey came out. There was no time to ex- 
change words, because the superintendent ap- 
peared at the door, just then, and bade me enter. 
I glanced back at Mickey, as I went in, and saw 
that he was not going back to quarters, but had 
been told to wait in the outer office, until they 
finished with me. When I entered the room, this 
time, the gentleman was seated in a chair, at 
one side of the table, while the girl stood back 
by the window, half turned away. The super- 
intendent said the gentleman wished to ask 
me some questions, so I marched up and stood 


PARTNERS THREE 19 

by the table. The superintendent excused him- 
self and left the room, closing the door behind 
him. 

The gentleman leaned back and looked me 
over, and although his face was straight, his 
eyes seemed to be laughing at me. 

“ Well,” he said, “ Number 343, suppose you 
tell me something about yourself. What kind of 
a boy are you ? ” 

I looked down at the floor and was absolutely 
tongue-tied. I could feel the blood rush to my 
face. 

“ Come,” he said, “ look at me.” 

I glanced up and tried to meet his gaze. His 
eyes were still laughing at me and one of his 
eyebrows cocked up in a comical, kindly way. 

“Don’t be afraid! I am not going to eat 
you! You’re a very, very bad boy — I know 
that. That’s why you’re here. I was a bad boy 
once, myself, and I don’t mind bad boys a bit. 
— Let’s hear what you have to say for yourself. 
— What’s your name?” 

“ Patrick Isaac Ennis, sir,” I answered, all 
in one breath. 

He leaned back again, as if taken by sur- 
prise at the sound of my voice, and raised both 
his eyebrows. He looked me over from top to 
toe, and I thought he was going to burst out 
laughing. 

“ Patrick Isaac Ennis ! ” he exclaimed. 


20 PARTNERS THREE 

44 That’s a very fine name ! Where in the world 
did you get it from?” 

This was a question I had been asked before, 
and I could answer it without hesitation. 

44 My father’s name was William Patrick and 
that’s what he wanted to call me. Mother’s 
father was Isaac Abraham and she chose that 
name. They couldn’t agree about it, so they 
called me Patrick Isaac.” 

He turned to the girl at the window. 

44 Tony,” he said, 44 do you hear that? His 
father’s name was William Patrick — his grand- 
father’s was Isaac Abraham — they call him 
Patrick Isaac. The result is an out-and-out 
American boy, who, for all we know, may be- 
come president of the United States ! ” 

The girl at the window turned and gave me a 
look that was full of friendliness and sympathy. 
She glanced at her father with a half smile on 
her face, as if she were trying to tell me that he 
meant no harm, and I needn’t be afraid. 

4< Patrick Isaac Ennis,” he repeated, slowly, 
44 P. I. E. — a most original name. If you 
were my boy I should call you 4 Pie.’ — Perhaps 
that’s what your friends call you, already? ” 

44 No, sir,” I blurted out, 44 no one ever called 
me that. Mose Eckstein calls me 4 Ikey,’ and 
Mickey calls me 4 Pat.’ ’Most everybody else 
calls me 4 343.’ ” 

44 Very well,” he said, 44 but your mother and 


PARTNERS THREE 21 

father knew better and they meant that you 
should be called 6 Pie.* — Now, Pie, tell me, — did 
you ever live in the country ? ” 

“ No, sir,” I said, “ except for ten days, and 
then I stayed in the house all the time.” 

66 Did you learn how to feed chickens? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Did you plant any sweet-peas or cab- 
bages ? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Have you ever chopped wood and made a 
fire? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Do you know how to row a boat or sail a 
boat? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Do you know anything about machinery? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Did you ever run an automobile?” 

“ No, sir.” 

He drew back again with an air of mock 
seriousness, but he was still laughing at me with 
his eyes. 

“ Well, Pie,” he said, “ I am looking for a 
boy who can help me feed the chickens, plant 
cabbages and potatoes and sweet-peas, row a 
boat and sail a boat, chop wood, make a fire 
and run an automobile. I want a boy who is 
big and strong and willing — a boy who likes 
work as well as he does play and who is ready to 


22 PARTNERS THREE 


accept with a smile or a laugh any kind of ex- 
perience that may come our way — How does it 
strike you? Do you think you are aualified for 
the position ? ” 

I knew that it was all up with me, — that he 
was only amusing himself at my expense and 
that the golden opportunity I had dreamed of 
was hopelessly beyond my reach. I must have 
looked rather pitiful, when I stammered out: 

“ I guess I won’t do.” 

I was looking down at the floor, half turned 
away, fingering the cap in my hands and wait- 
ing for him to dismiss me. 

I heard him say to the girl : 

“ Tony, que pense-tu? II est plus amusant 
que V autre — hein? 99 

She answered in a low, timid voice: 

“ Oh, out, il est tres sympathique — seulement 
il a Van maladif.” 

“ Oh, no, miss,” I said, looking up at her 
quickly, “ I have never been sick and I am much 
stronger than I look.” 

“ Tiens! 99 she exclaimed, looking at me with 
wide open eyes. Then she turned and exchanged 
glances with her father. They both appeared 
very much surprised that I could understand 
French. 

“ What, Pie ! ” cried the gentleman. “ Do 
you mean to say that you can speak French? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” I answered. “ Monsieur Vipont 


PARTNERS THREE 23 

was a Frenchman — he was my stepfather, and 
we always talked French together.” 

“Why didn’t you say so before! — What 
else can you do ? ” 

“ I can draw pictures and do carpentry work 
and make engravings on brass and steel and I 
was a grocer’s boy for a month.” 

“ Pie, my boy,” he said, looking at me with 
an air of a judge delivering a sentence, though 
I could still see the laughter in his eyes, “ that 
settles it ! You are the boy for me ! You please 
me mightily! The only question that remains 
for us to consider is whether I please you equally 
well. — Now, then, how about it? Am I the kind 
of a master you are looking for? It’s your turn 
to ask me questions.” 

He was still making fun of me. I realised 
that. But his words had so filled me with joy 
that I hardly knew what I was saying. 

“ I would like to go with you very much and 
I will try my best to learn.” 

“Well said, Pie! — Now let’s be practical. — 
How about your wages? — I should say, what 
salary do you expect to receive ? ” 

“ I got two dollars and a half a week at the 
grocer’s. But if you will give me a chance to 
try, I will be satisfied with anything you think I 
am worth.” 

He got up from his chair and took a step 
toward me. 


24 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Pie,’’ he said, and I knew the name must 
please him, for he stopped over it and his face 
broke into a smile, “ you are a born diplomat 
and philosopher. Your conditions are accepted 
and the agreement is made.” 

He held out his hand, and I, not knowing 
what else to do, took it and began to cry. 


CHAPTER III 


I N one week’s time, everything about me 
and my life seemed to have undergone a 
complete transformation. The House of 
Refuge and all the wretched feelings as- 
sociated with it were gone and forgotten. They 
were left far behind, in regions of mist and 
darkness that I no longer inhabited. I was 
born again in a new world where everything 
was bathed in sunshine and laughter and the 
joy of being alive. 

This new world was a little farm-house. It 
had only three inhabitants — the blond-bearded 
gentleman, the dark-haired girl and myself. 

The gentleman was not an army officer at all. 
His name was Doctor Joyce. But he was not a 
doctor who had patients and practised medicine. 
I wondered at first what he did for a living, as 
he did not appear to have any business, like 
other people. He cleared up my doubts on this 
subject, himself, when I made an uncertain 
reference, one day, to his treatment of patients. 
These are the words with which he enlight- 
ened me : 

“ Pie,” he said, 66 1 don’t practise medicine, 
and I never have. I don’t like to see sickness 


25 


26 PARTNERS THREE 

and I don’t like to think about it. I would 
rather be a chimney sweep than a physician, 
any day. You would like to know why I am 
called ‘Doctor’? I will tell you what I am. 
I’m a philosopher, an inventor and a citizen of 
the universe. — If you show the proper apti- 
tude and attain to those qualifications when you 
grow up, you may aspire to the title of Doc- 
tor, too, — Doctor Pie! — But if you have any 
thought of practising medicine, tell me now, 
and I will blow you to pieces with nitro- 
glycerin.” 

I dare say the expression on my face while I 
listened to him must have had something comical 
about it. When he finished and I stood staring 
at him, he broke out in a roar of laughter. 

That was his way. Joy and health and 
humour seemed to fill his being to the brim 
and at the slightest provocation they would 
bubble over. I had not heard very much 
laughter in my life until then. Laughter among 
men, it seems to me, is none too frequent nowa- 
days, especially that kind of laughter, — deep, 
wholesome, kindly and intelligent. At any rate, 
Doctor Joyce’s laughter was one of the things 
in my new life that affected me most. 

It seemed as if nothing were capable of ruf- 
fling his temper or disturbing his cheeriness. 
Little annoyances of everyday life which make 
most people swear or frown or speak crossly, 


PARTNERS THREE 27 

never troubled him in the least. He laughed 
at them, or cocked up one eyebrow in a whim- 
sical way that was characteristic of him, trans- 
forming the accident into an excuse for fun. 
One morning, I remember, I went with him to 
the old bam where he kept his automobile. 
During the night there had been a very heavy 
rain storm, with high wind and lightning. A 
patch on the roof had been torn away. When 
we opened the barn door, there stood the auto- 
mobile dripping in a pool of dirty water, the 
cushions all soaked and stained. 

I knew how much he thought of the automo- 
bile and I naturally expected that he would be 
appalled by what had happened. He stood and 
gazed at it for a moment in silence, glanced up 
at the leaking roof, then turned to me and 
cocked up his eyebrow. 

“ Fie,” he said, “ our noble steed has got the 
worst of it. I put that patch on the roof and 
I flattered myself it was a good one. The ele- 
ments have demonstrated my error. The roof 
is yours. I give it to you. Do with it what you 
will. You’ve a grand opportunity to display 
your skill as a carpenter. If you need new 
boards or nails or tin from the village, I will 
be your messenger. In the meanwhile, Pie, if 
you will get me a bucket and some rags, I will 
see what can be done with this sorry spectacle.” 

When I brought them to him and was stand- 


28 PARTNERS THREE 

ing by to help him, he took off his coat, picked 
up the bucket, and waved me away. 

“ Get to the roof, my boy, and make us a 
patch to be proud of. — And, Pie,” he added, 
turning and looking me over soberly, “ when the 
next storm comes, if your patch gets the best 
of it, Tony shall make you a plum pudding, as 
a celebration.” 

I fixed the roof and he kept his word. The 
following week, another rain storm came, with- 
out getting through into the barn, and that 
evening, at supper, Antoinette brought forth 
from the kitchen a plum pudding with blazing 
sauce. It was the first I had ever tasted. 

Doctor Joyce was constantly having all sorts 
of “ fun ” with his automobile. Other people 
would have called them “ trials ” or “ mis- 
haps.” The machine was a second-hand one 
and he bought it, he said, at a great bargain. 
However that might be, every screw and valve 
and part of it was constantly going wrong, or 
giving out. The Doctor had had no previous ex- 
perience with automobiles and it gave him keen 
delight to study the machinery of this one 
and pick it apart. Little by little, he explained 
it all to me and before long he allowed me 
to run it and put the care of it, nominally, un- 
der my charge. 

The Doctor’s house was in Westchester 
County, about two miles from the nearest vil- 


PARTNERS THREE 29 

lage, Portchester, and about four or five miles 
back from the shore of Long Island Sound. 
The house itself was not very large or imposing- 
looking. It was painted white with green shut- 
ters and had a little porch on one side. It had 
a small barn which had once been painted red 
and a little dilapidated chicken-house which was 
falling apart, in the field behind. There was 
also a duck pond and vegetable garden and a 
bunch of berry bushes, — gooseberries, currants, 
and blackberries. The house was set back some 
distance from the road and there were a number 
of fine trees about it. There were no other 
houses in the immediate neighbourhood, the 
nearest one being over the top of the hill, out 
of our sight. All about u's were low rolling 
fields, with here and there a bit of land that 
had been ploughed for farming. 

The Doctor seemed to revel in all the homely 
details and inconveniences of this lonely, simple 
life. He called it a “ tonic ” and an “ anti- 
dote.” Fresh air to breathe and solitude for 
thought, green fields and trees to gladden the 
eye, he said, brought a man back to his natural 
kingdom and chased out the cobwebs of civilisa- 
tion from his brain. He had had too much of 
cramped and crowded city life. 

I have heard of people in broken health, or 
with deranged nervous systems, being sent away 
by their physicians to some secluded spot for a 


30 PARTNERS THREE 

“ rest cure,” but there was nothing of this sort 
to be observed in the case of Doctor Joyce. 
Never did a man display less indication of bodily 
weakness, or mental exhaustion. On the con- 
trary, he seemed every moment of the day 
charged with vitality, like the pole of an elec- 
tric battery, and ready to flash forth, at the 
least provocation. It was not rest that he 
wanted. His delight was in activity, whether 
of the mind, or of the body. He appeared to 
find in that little farm-house the same sort of 
eager contentment that a child has in a play- 
room, surrounded by new toys. 

I speak of this now, and it seems worth dwell- 
ing on, because it was in a way the key-note of 
my new life. I had never seen a man like that 
before, — in fact, I don’t believe there ever was 
another man the least bit like Doctor Joyce. 
His disposition and his character cast their 
spell upon me, from the start, as they did upon 
every one else with whom he came in contact. 
To be near him, to hear him talk, to watch the 
laughter in his eyes and follow the never-ending 
variety of thoughts and sentiments that found 
expression in his face, was to me a new and 
mysterious happiness. I would do anything to 
gain his approval and I would rather have cut 
myself in two than do a thing that would cause 
him displeasure. 

There was not much time for idleness in our 


PARTNERS THREE 31 

household for any of us. Antoinette had the 
meals to cook and the rooms to dust and sewing 
to do and all the other things connected with 
taking care of a house. I had the automobile to 
clean and fuss over, digging and hoeing and 
planting seeds in the garden, wood to chop, 
fences to repair and a dozen other odd jobs 
that needed attending to, every day. Doctor 
Joyce did his share of the work, the same as 
Antoinette and I. He had an idea to get as 
many kinds of animals for the place as we could 
manage to take care of. For a while, almost 
every morning, when he returned from his run 
to the village in the automobile, he would bring 
back some new addition to our family. Before 
I came, they had a cat and a pair of chickens. 
The cat was of the first necessity because, when 
they moved in, Antoinette said, the house was 
alive with mice and there were big rats in the 
cellar. Antoinette wanted the chickens, without 
delay, so as to have a new-laid egg, every morn- 
ing, for the Doctor’s breakfast. The hen did 
not lay an egg, every day, and the next thing 
was some more chickens, of different varieties. 
Then came ducks for the duck pond; a pair of 
guinea fowl; another cat, because there were 
still too many mice for the first one to attend to ; 
two turkeys, a peacock and a pig. 

The Doctor liked to watch them all and study 
their peculiarities and “make friends” with 


32 PARTNERS THREE 

them. Each species, he said, was a wonderful 
piece of machinery, with subtle characteristics 
that were well worth observation and reflection. 
He considered that animals of all kinds were 
quite as much entitled to respect and kindness 
as human beings and he would not think of 
killing a mosquito, or a bee. Fortunately, I 
found this out from Antoinette when the Doctor 
was not there. I was in the kitchen with her 
one morning, helping her get the breakfast 
ready, when a big, black spider suddenly 
dropped down from the wall and ran across the 
table. I picked up a wooden spoon, instinct- 
ively, and brought it down upon the spider. 

“ Oh, Pie ! ” cried Antoinette, looking at me 
with amazement and reproach. 

I didn’t know what she meant. I supposed 
it was because I had used her wooden spoon 
and got some spider on it. 

“ That’s nothing,” I said, “ I’ll wash it off.” 

“ Pie,” she repeated, 66 how could you do 
that? — You’ve killed it!” 

Then she explained to me that the spider had 
as much right to live as I had. It had done 
me no harm, and even if it had, that might be 
its nature. There was no reason for me to kill 
it, just because I was bigger and stronger. 

I am glad it was Antoinette and not the Doc- 
tor. She made me feel ashamed of myself and 
I gave her my sacred oath that I would never 


PARTNERS THREE 33 

again kill a spider, as long as I lived. She 
forgave me and was very nice about it. She 
said it was only because I had never thought 
about such things and had had no one to explain 
to me. 

The Doctor was a late riser and there was 
no telling what time he would make his appear- 
ance. In the morning, when he woke up, he 
would whistle, or shout, from his room to An- 
toinette and she would begin getting his break- 
fast ready for him. It was usually after nine 
o’clock and sometimes as late as eleven when 
he came downstairs for his breakfast. An- 
toinette and I didn’t wait for him. We had 
our breakfast .together, in the kitchen, much 
earlier. 

It was one of the Doctor’s ideas that no one 
should ever be waked up in the morning out of a 
sound sleep. Every one was entitled, he said, 
to all the sleep he could get and nature was the 
best judge of how much was needed. Aside 
from this, he said, the shock to the nervous sys- 
tem when one is waked up from a sound sleep 
by a sudden noise is injurious to health and en- 
tirely unwarranted, except in the case of a real 
emergency. Consequently, there was no alarm 
clock in the house and whichever of us got up 
first was not allowed to wake the other. My 
two years at the House of Refuge had formed 
in me the habit of waking early in the morning. 


34 PARTNERS THREE 

I was usually up pretty soon after sunrise. This 
gave me time to build the fire in the kitchen, 
gather the eggs, feed the chickens and get the 
automobile cleaned, before Antoinette appeared. 
When she had our breakfast ready, she would 
come out to the barn, or the chicken house, or 
the garden — wherever I might be — and fetch 
me in to breakfast. Once in awhile I over- 
slept, or she would get up before me, and then 
she would laugh and tease me when I came down 
for being a “ lazy-head.” 

The Doctor was less talkative and alert in 
the morning than at any other time. Indeed, 
except for his morning greeting, he would often 
not utter a word until after he had finished his 
breakfast. Then his good spirits and anima- 
tion seemed gradually to increase, as the day 
wore on. They reached their fullest flow at 
supper time and for the balance of the evening. 
As soon as supper was over, Antoinette and I 
would hurry to the kitchen and get the dishes 
washed, as quickly as we could. Then we would 
go to the Doctor’s study and he would talk to 
us, teach us things and question us, until our 
bed time. That was usually about half-past 
nine, or ten o’clock, and as supper was over 
about seven, we had nearly three hours each 
night in his study. Those were wonderful hours 
to me. All through the day I looked forward 
to them with longing, and it was always with 


PARTNERS THREE 35 

reluctance and a sinking heart that I saw them 
draw to a close. The Doctor was particular 
about sending us to bed early. Half -past nine 
was “ early,” ten o’clock was “ very late.” 
Nature, he said, could be trusted to tell every- 
body when it was time to wake up ; but no one 
could trust boys and girls to decide when it 
was time for them to go to bed. 

How late he himself sat up, I cannot tell, 
but I imagine that it was usually well on toward 
morning before he put out the lamp. Once 
something woke me in the night, and, as I 
turned over to go to sleep again, I heard the 
study door open and the Doctor’s step on 
the stairs. It seemed to me nearly morning, 
and I got up and went to the window and pulled 
up the shade. The stars were still out, but the 
first faint light of dawn was showing in the 
East. 

It was only at night, after we had gone to 
bed, that the Doctor took up his real work. It 
was then that he studied and calculated and ex- 
perimented, developing the ideas which resulted 
in a new invention. I shall have a great deal 
more to say about his inventions and his philo- 
sophical theories before this book is done. They 
became an important factor in my life, as they 
were in his, and much of my story will be con- 
cerned with them. In those first few weeks at 
the farm-house, I had only the vaguest notion 


36 PARTNERS THREE 

of the real interests that were occupying his 
mind. 

One thing that I learned as soon as he took 
me to live with him was the mistake I had made 
concerning Antoinette. She was not Doctor 
Joyce’s daughter, nor was she related to him 
in any way. Her name was Antoinette Bonnet, 
and like myself she was an orphan. 

One morning, after I had been with them 
about a week, Antoinette and I were having our 
early breakfast together in the kitchen when 
we fell to exchanging confidences. She asked 
me about my parents and my life in the House 
of Refuge. I told her about Monsieur Vipont 
and the counterfeiters and what other things 
I could think of about my boyhood. Then, in 
answer to my questions, she told me how it was 
that Doctor Joyce had happened to go to the 
House of Refuge. He had come across a re- 
port of the institution, and the idea of taking 
one of the boys occurred to- him in a flash. 
That was his way. He had written to the 
superintendent and their visit to the institu- 
tion was the result. 

It was Antoinette who had recognised me, 
when we were marched into the superintendent’s 
room, as the little boy who had led the silent 
drill. She said she noticed the cut on my chin 
where it had struck the gun and she felt sorry 
for me. I looked so white and small and forlorn 


PARTNERS THREE 37 

and funny, she said, that when she called the 
Doctor’s attention to me, he agreed I might be 
the most promising boy of the lot, just because 
appearances were so much against me. But she 
thought the Doctor had decided to give Mickey 
the preference, on account of his being so much 
stronger and healthier, and also because he had 
lived in the country and knew all about work on 
a farm. It was the French that turned the 
tables in my favour. Just how or why this 
should make so much difference, she did not 
attempt to explain ; but such was the case. 


CHAPTER IV 


T his is what Antoinette told me 
about her own life: 

She had no recollections of any 
kind concerning her father or 
mother. As far back as she could remember, 
she had always lived with her Aunt Therese, who 
was a Swiss woman and lived in a cottage on 
the shore of Lake Geneva, not far from the 
town of Lausanne. Aunt Therese was a peas- 
ant woman and a widow, her husband, Monsieur 
Bonnet, having died before Antoinette could 
remember. Madame Bonnet had a little money 
and she owned her cottage and a small vineyard 
that went with it. Her income, however, could 
not have been large, for she always complained 
of their poverty. She was old and suffered from 
rheumatism, which caused her much pain and 
grew steadily worse, as the years went by. She 
could do no regular work, but she took in a little 
washing and Antoinette helped her with it, as 
soon as she was large enough to hold an iron. 
Antoinette and her aunt lived all alone in the 
house for a number of years. Very few of 
the peasants in the neighbourhood ever came 
near them, probably because they found no in- 
38 


PARTNERS THREE 39 

ducement in Madame Bonnet’s bad temper and 
sharp tongue. 

Antoinette had never known exactly how old 
she was, nor had she ever had a birthday, dur- 
ing all the years she lived with her aunt in the 
cottage. When she asked Madame Bonnet 
concerning her age and her parents, the old 
woman never answered her. Antoinette’s 
mother and father had both been drowned in 
the lake, when she was very little. Who they 
were, or what they were, made no difference 
to any one. This was all that Aunt Therese 
could ever be made to tell. She usually ended 
by saying that Antoinette could thank her stars 
to have a roof over her head, things to eat, and 
a rheumatic old aunt who was kind-hearted 
enough to be bothered with her. As far as her 
birthdays were concerned, the time would soon 
come when she would be very glad not to have 
them flying around to remind her how short 
life was. 

Antoinette did not know her father’s name. 
She was not even sure that his last name was 
Bonnet. She suspected, however, that he was 
a brother of Aunt Therese who had committed 
some act to disgrace him in the old woman’s 
eyes. That was the only explanation she could 
imagine to account for her aunt’s stubborn 
reticence. 

Madame Bonnet had taught her how to cook 


40 PARTNERS THREE 

and bake and attend to all the household duties. 
She had learned all this when she was very 
young. At the same time, she had been taught 
to make all her own clothes. Later, she did 
pieces of embroidery and crocheted laces which 
could be sold in Lausanne. She had never gone 
to school, and as Madame Bonnet, herself, was 
very ignorant, Antoinette had not been taught 
to read or write. 

One winter, Aunt Therese took a Russian 
lady to board with them in the cottage. She 
found it profitable and, after that, she was 
always on the lookout for a boarder. The cot- 
tage was only large enough to accommodate 
one at a time; but it had a cosy sitting-room 
and a bed-room adjoining, on the ground floor, 
with plenty of sunshine, and each of their 
boarders, in turn, seemed very well satisfied with 
it. The care of the boarder, of course, devolved 
almost exclusively upon the little girl. 

Late one spring, a short while after the de- 
parture of their regular winter boarder, who, 
this year, had been an old Italian gentleman 
with an irascible temper, an unexpected piece 
of good fortune befell them. Usually there 
was no demand for board in the late spring and 
summer, which were regarded as the “ dead sea- 
son.” This spring, however, a new applicant 
walked into the cottage, one day, looked the 
rocrms over, and engaged them for the entire 
summer. This new applicant was Doctor J oyce. 


PARTNERS THREE 41 

Doctor Joyce remained in the cottage all 
through the summer and the following winter. 
He left them, at irregular intervals, for trips 
to Paris and Berlin ; but he kept the rooms and 
paid for them in full, even during his absence, 
much to Madame Bonnet’s delight. 

The Doctor brought with him to the cottage 
a large trunk full of books and another large 
trunk which was filled with a curious assort- 
ment of models for machinery, — some made of 
wood and others of metal. He was working 
then, as now, on some new inventions and had 
chanced upon that quiet cottage as a congenial 
spot for his experiments. 

The new boarder almost immediately began 
to show a kindly interest in the little girl who 
cooked and served his meals for him and cared 
for his rooms. He found time to teach her 
how to read and write, gave her books, and 
frequently he would take her with him when 
he went for a walk in the mountains, or a row 
on the lake, after supper. 

One morning, the following spring, Aunt 
Therese did not appear in the kitchen at her 
usual time, so Antoinette went up to her room 
to see if she were suffering. She found the old 
woman dead in her bed. She had had a stroke 
in the night and had been dead many hours 
when Antoinette found her. 

The death of Aunt Therese left the little 
girl absolutely homeless and friendless. Madame 


42 PARTNERS THREE 

Bonnet’s only surviving relative was an aged 
brother who lived in a distant corner of Switz- 
erland. He was not discovered until some time 
after the funeral, which there was no one to 
attend to but Doctor J oyce. When the author- 
ities finally got into communication with the 
aged brother, it was decided, after investiga- 
tion, that Madame Bonnet’s little property be- 
longed to him. The only thing that Antoinette 
understood clearly was that she hadn’t a penny 
of her own and no one to turn to for protection, 
except Doctor Joyce. 

She did not have to turn to him. As soon as 
he found out how matters stood, he came to 
her. He said he had had no one for years to 
think about, or care for, but himself. It would 
give him happiness to take an interest in her 
and keep her from harm, until a suitable home 
could be found for her. He would be a friend 
and a father to her as long as she chose to 
remain in his keeping. He was obliged to 
make a trip to London, at that time ; she helped 
him pack his trunk and went with him and since 
then she had never been out of his sight for a 
day. 

Four years had passed since the Doctor and 
Antoinette left Switzerland together. During 
those four years they had travelled and lived 
in half a dozen different countries of Europe, — 
France, England, Italy, Germany, Russia, etc. 


PARTNERS THREE 43 

Part of the time, she said, the Doctor had ap- 
peared to be very rich and spent large sums of 
money to gratify his various whims. At an- 
other time, — in London, he lost all his money 
in a company which he had formed to promote 
one of his inventions. He had had to sell all 
the beautiful things he owned and for nearly a 
year he had been obliged to make debts and owe 
money to the trades people for the necessities 
of life. His disposition, however, — his cheery 
good humour and his golden laughter — had 
never been affected in the slightest by the change 
in his circumstances. He was always the same, 
she said, as I saw him now. He had never 
spoken a cross word to her and he had never 
made her feel, by a word or look, that he re- 
gretted the burden he had assumed in taking 
her under his protection. 

In whatever city they lived, the Doctor had 
always taken a flat, or furnished rooms, with 
a kitchen. And Antoinette had always cooked 
his meals, mended his clothes and waited on him, 
herself. She knew his tastes and ways better 
than any one else could know them, and she 
asked nothing more than to continue being his 
servant until she grew as old and rheumatic as 
Aunt Therese. 

Antoinette spoke English with an odd, foreign 
accent. It was very slight and pretty to hear 
and it did not hinder her in the least from ex- 


44 PARTNERS THREE 

pressing her thoughts freely. She had very 
thick, dark-brown hair, which she usually wore 
hanging down her back in one big braid, tied 
at the end with a blue ribbon. She never fussed 
with her hair, as most girls do, with tongs, or 
crimpers, or curl papers. She just brushed it 
straight back, as neatly as she could, from her 
forehead and let the fuzzy little hairs take care 
of themselves. Her eyes looked almost black 
from a distance, her lashes were so long. But 
when you looked at them closely, you could see 
that they were really a sort of dark blue, or 
violet colour. They were very large and bright 
and full of expression. She had a smooth, ruddy 
complexion, a little nose that tilted up a trifle, 
in a saucy way, and a large, healthy, smiling 
mouth, with little dimples in the corners, and 
large white teeth. She seemed about sixteen 
years old, very healthy and strong and well 
proportioned. She was exceedingly quick and 
handy in everything she did. Her disposition 
was as happy and cheerful as the Doctor’s. 
She would sing to herself half the time while 
she w r orked, in a clear, unconscious voice, and 
she was always ready to laugh and tease and 
joke and see the bright or funny side of things. 
She never spoke a harsh word to me and I never 
saw her fret, or complain, no matter how badly 
things might be going. 

As I look back upon it, I cannot help wonder- 


PARTNERS THREE 45 

ing whether Antoinette’s disposition was not 
very largely the result of the Doctor’s influence 
and example. Nearly all her ideas and her point 
of view toward life in general were undoubtedly 
derived from him. The French have a saying, 
I know, to the effect that our dispositions are 
settled for us by nature and that no outside 
influence can alter them permanently. In any 
case, Antoinette’s spirit seemed to be of the 
same essence as the Doctor’s. 

The effect that they both had upon me was 
simply miraculous. The very fact of their 
presence — to be near them, to see their faces 
and hear the sound of their voices — made every- 
thing seem hopeful and gay and right. I no 
longer had a thought to feel envious of any- 
body, or to brood over my past troubles, or 
worry about what the future might bring me. 
I breathed in the spirit that was about me until 
it seemed to become a part of myself. A new 
being came to life within me and the happy 
soul of Pie had nothing in common with “ Ikey,” 
“ Pat,” or “ 343.” 


CHAPTER V 


O NE day, in June, while I was out 
by the chicken house putting up a 
wire fence, to keep the little chicks 
from straying away, the Doctor 
came along with a dish of meal. He sat down 
on a log and began feeding the chicks from 
his hand. Pretty soon the old hens and roosters, 
the guinea fowl, the turkeys and the peacock 
came scampering up and besieged him. They 
crowded up on the log beside him and even on 
to his lap, vieing with one another for the hand- 
fuls of meal which he passed around. 

When he had finished feeding them, teasing 
them, laughing at them, he shooed them away 
and stood for a moment with his hands in his 
pockets and a smile on his face, looking at the 
work I was doing. 

“ Pie,” he said, with that whimsical expres- 
sion of his that was mock serious, “ you’re a 
first-rate carpenter. There’s no doubt about 
that. Now the question is how much do you 
know about cooking? ” 

“ Cooking, sir ? ” I repeated blankly. 

“ Do you suppose you could manage to make 
a cake? — Any kind of a cake will do. — It 
46 


PARTNERS THREE 47 

doesn’t matter what you put in it. — But it 
ought to have frosting on top, and look like 
a cake.” 

“ Antoinette could show me,” I said, “ then 
I’d know how.” 

He cocked up his eyebrow, with an air of 
mystery. 

“ That wouldn’t do exactly,” he said. “ Tony 
mustn’t know anything about this cake, or it 
would spoil the fun. Next Thursday will be 
Tony’s birthday and it occurred to me, just 
now, that we might concoct a little surprise for 
her. — Now if you could only make something 
that looked like a cake, we would put candles 
on it and see what kind of a face she made when 
she tried to eat a piece. If that won’t do, we 
must think of something else. A birthday 
wouldn’t be a birthday without some sort of a 
surprise. — Think it over, Pie, and let me know 
to-morrow what is the best thing you can sug- 
gest.” 

I remembered what Antoinette had told me 
about her age and her parents and what her 
aunt had said, and it puzzled me to think how 
the Doctor could have discovered her birthday. 
That evening after supper, while Antoinette and 
I were washing the dishes, I brought up the 
question, in a roundabout way. 

“ Antoinette,” I said, “ did you ever speak to 
the Doctor about what you told me? — I mean 


48 PARTNERS THREE 

about your not knowing how old you are and 
not having any birthday.” 

“Yes indeed! He said it wouldn’t do any 
harm not to know how old I was, but that it 
wasn’t fair of Aunt Therese to deprive me of a 
birthday. He said I had as much right to it 
as any one else. So he picked out one for me.” 

“ How do you mean ? ” 

“ He said that as we had the whole year to 
choose from, he would give me the luckiest and 
best day of all — the 12th of June. That’s the 
day when the idea came to him of his biggest 
invention. Nobody has seen it work yet, but 
before long, Pie, it will be more talked about 
than anything else in the world.” 

I asked her about this invention. It was a 
new kind of boat, a steam-ship, that rolled across 
the ocean, faster, much faster, than any boat 
had ever gone. 

I made bold that night to ask the Doctor 
about this invention of his. He explained it to 
Antoinette and me at some length, and showed 
us a drawing of the wonderful new kind of ship, 
as it would look when completed. I will not tell 
about it, here, but keep it, along with other 
matters of a similar nature, for a more appro- 
priate place in my story. 

It so happened that Antoinette was making 
some little cakes in the kitchen the following 
morning. I found an excuse to watch her and 


PARTNERS THREE 49 

help her. I asked all sorts of questions about 
icings and frostings and ingredients, until I 
had obtained from her all the information I 
needed to carry out the Doctor’s design. The 
Doctor had given me some money, a few days 
before, to buy shoes and clothing and things I 
might need, in the village. I had not spent any 
of it, yet, and now the spirit of Antoinette’s 
birthday was so strong in me that I determined 
the greater part of the money should be spent 
on a surprise of my own for her. I often ran 
the automobile to the village by myself, to get 
supplies for Antoinette. The next time I went, 
in addition to the shoes and a pair of over-alls 
I got for myself, I picked out, at the jeweller’s, 
a little gold pin for Antoinette. I also got 
some small wax candles to put on the cake. 

When Thursday came, the Doctor arranged 
to take Antoinette away after breakfast for a 
long ride in the automobile. That left me a 
free hand in the kitchen, and a high old time I 
had of it, kneading and rolling a mixture that 
would pass muster for a cake. I got it finished, 
however, and put it in a big round pan and 
baked it in the oven. Then the greatest diffi- 
culty of all was to get it out of the pan without 
breaking it to bits. Two or three pieces broke 
away on one side, but they were near the bot- 
tom, and I was able to disguise this defect by 
putting a band of tissue paper completely 


So PARTNERS THREE 

around the lower half of the cake. I put a thick 
layer of white sugar icing on top. It stayed 
very sticky and some of it dripped over the 
sides, but this did not keep the cake from look* 
ing very good to eat. The little candles I had 
picked out were dark blue, as this was the colour 
Antoinette liked best. Inasmuch as Antoinette’s 
age was unknown to us, I hit upon the idea of 
arranging the candles on top of it in the form 
of a big interrogation point, and, as every- 
body is given an extra candle to grow on, I 
stuck one in the centre of the upper half. Fi- 
nally, I pushed a hole with my finger in the bot- 
tom of the cake, directly under the extra candle, 
and shoved in the little gold pin, away up into 
the middle. When all was completed, I took it 
up to my room and hid it away on a shelf in 
the closet. Then I cleaned up the kitchen and 
was out in the garden working away, as if 
nothing had happened, before the Doctor and 
Antoinette returned in the automobile. 

When supper was ready, I got the cake out of 
the closet, lighted all the candles, and stood it 
on a chair in the hall until the right moment 
came for getting it into the dining-room. The 
first time Antoinette left the table, to go to 
the kitchen, I seized the opportunity, ran out 
and got the cake and set it on the table in front 
of Antoinette’s place. When Antoinette came in 
from the kitchen and saw what was there, she 


PARTNERS THREE 51 

stopped short and uttered a cry of amazement 
and delight. 

“ Oh, que c’est beau! 99 she exclaimed, “ — a 
birthday cake ! ” 

Then she looked questioningly from the Doc- 
tor to me. 

“ Where did it come from? ” 

“ It’s Pie’s creation, Tony,” said the Doctor. 
“ With his hands alone he made it ! ” 

Antoinette turned and looked at me in a way 
that made the blood rush to my face and brought 
tears to my eyes. She ran to the table, put 
down the dish she was carrying, then threw 
her arms about me and kissed me on both cheeks. 
The Doctor leaned back in his chair and roared 
with laughter. What a happy moment it was 
for all three of us! 

When Antoinette started to cut the cake, I 
asked her to let me do it, and I managed it 
so that she got the right piece on her plate. 
Neither she, nor the Doctor, had any suspicion 
of that other surprise. Antoinette took a little 
nibble of the cake and pretended she liked it. 
She wanted to know how I had managed it with- 
out her knowledge. The Doctor took a tiny 
little crumb from his piece and put it in his 
mouth. Then he smacked his lips and said “ Um ! 
um ! ” and told me I had covered myself with 
glory. I was afraid, for a moment, that they 
were going to stop there and I would have to 


52 PARTNERS THREE 

sr . ^ * 

spoil the surprise »by% pointing it out. I* kept 
silent, however, and proceeded to eat my cake in 
big mouthfuls. Antoinette must have guessed 
something from my manner, for almost imme- 
diately she began breaking up her piece of 
cake and came upon the pin. The Doctor ap- 
peared to show the same happy interest in it 
as she did, and I could tell from the way he 
looked at me that I had done something which 
pleased him. 

He had prepared a surprise, too. It came 
after supper when Antoinette and I finished 
washing the dishes. We went into the Doctor’s 
study and there, seated serenely on a chair 
beside him, was a large English bull dog with 
a blue ribbon tied in a bow around its neck. 
That was a surprise, indeed, and a double joy 
for Antoinette and me. It was just the one 
thing needed to make the household complete. 

The dog was without a name. It was a lost 
creature, like Antoinette and me. The Doctor 
had gotten it through the police at Rye. It had 
presumably been left behind by some automobile 
party passing through that part of the country. 
It was evidently a dog of the very best breed, 
but as no claimant for it had come forward in 
the stated time, the police captain was free to 
dispose of it. 

That same evening, the dog was named “ Bo.” 
When Antoinette first saw it she exclaimed: 
“ Oh, qu’il est beau! 99 


PARTNERS THREE 53 

No sooner had she said this than the Doctor 
clapped his hands. 

“ The very thing ! ” he said. “ Tony, you 
have given him an admirable name. He’s 6 Bo.’ 
Nothing else would suit him so well.” 

Bo was the heaviest and most powerful bull 
dog I have ever seen. The Doctor was lost in 
admiration of him for the perfect proportion 
and economy of all his parts to make up an 
ideal fighting machine. He had a neck and pro- 
truding lower jaw and a set of teeth that were 
awe-inspiring. Notwithstanding this, he was 
the most gentle, submissive and affectionate 
creature that ever drew breath. Antoinette 
overwhelmed him with kindness and attentions 
and he very soon had surrendered to her his 
whole heart. He never wanted to leave her sight 
for an instant, and he learned to understand 
and respond to her every whim. He was al- 
ways the best of friends with the Doctor and 
with me, but it was only because Antoinette 
wished it so. He made it unmistakably plain, 
at all times, that he considered himself her ex- 
clusive property, to do with as she chose, and 
it would have gone very hard with any one who 
attempted to interfere with her rights. 

While I am on this subject of birthdays, I 
may as well make mention here of my own, which 
came about two months later, the 13th of Sep- 
tember. I hadn’t the remotest idea that any 


54 PARTNERS THREE 

attention would be paid to it. As a matter 
of fact, I was not even aware that either the 
Doctor or Antoinette had any notion of when I 
was born. It seems, however, that' I had once 
told Antoinette, in the early days, when we were 
exchanging confidences, and she had not forgot- 
ten. 

At all events, no reference had been made to 
the subject in the intervening months, and when 
the day arrived I, myself, was quite unconscious 
that it was my birthday, or that anything was 
in the air. The days slipped by one like an- 
other, I didn’t see the newspapers, and very 
seldom could I have told, even approximately, 
what day of the month it was. 

That evening, when I came in to supper, in 
response to Antoinette’s call, there on the table 
was a big birthday cake, in my honour, with 
eighteen red candles placed on top of it. I was 
seventeen. The piece of cake that Antoinette 
cut for me was a very large one and I could 
see at once that there was something in it. 
It was a big, open-faced silver watch, ticking 
loudly, and attached to a silver chain. 

That was enough to completely overcome me, 
but the Doctor’s present was more than I could 
bear. It was a piece of paper bearing a huge 
red seal, and looking very official and formid- 
able. The Doctor passed it across the table to 
me, after the meal was over, and told me to read 
it. As I unfolded it, I noted how he was ob- 


PARTNERS THREE 55 

serving me. One eyebrow was cocked up and 
there was a faint suggestion of laughter in his 
eyes, but behind it was a look of tenderness 
and affection that made me tremble and melt. 

This is what I read : 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRES- 
ENT, that a young man once known as Pat- 
rick Isaac Ennis, but who now answers to the 
name of “ Pie,” shall and does hereby cease on 
this day to be a servant in the employ of Doc- 
tor Jeremiah Joyce. The said Pie shall have 
hereafter no claim to any wages, or pay, for 
any services that he may in future perform for 
the said Doctor Joyce. 

From this day forth the said Pie, in considera- 
tion of his good deeds in the past, and his prom- 
ise of doing as well, or better, in the future, be- 
comes the honoured and well loved partner in 
the firm of Joyce, Bonnet and Pie — Philoso- 
phers, Inventors and Citizens of the Universe. 
He is by this entitled to a full share in all their 
joys and sorrows and in whatever fortune the 
world may extend to them. 

This partnership shall last for life, or until 
the said Pie, of his own accord, chooses to repu- 
diate the agreement. (Signed) 

Jeremiah Joyce, 
Antoinette Bonnet. 

Is it any wonder that the tears are trickling 
down my cheeks as I think of that time? 


CHAPTER VI 


D octor Joyce had a temper. 

Weeks went by at the farm-house 
without there being the slightest 
indication that such a thing ex- 
isted, but it was there, nevertheless, ready to 
break out under certain provocation. One day, 
this provocation came and the effect on him was 
extraordinary. 

He had taken me with him in the automobile 
that morning to the village of Rye, where we 
were to select some materials to be used in mak- 
ing a model of a boat. On our way back, a 
mile or so outside the village, we were passing 
a place with a high stone wall on the roadside, 
when we heard loud cries of pain and saw beyond 
the wall a man beating a boy with a whip. The 
Doctor, who was running the machine, put on 
the emergency brake and brought the car to a 
standstill. Before I had time to realise what 
he was doing, he had jumped to the ground and 
vaulted over the wall. 

The man saw him coming and turned to face 
him, as he drew near. He still held the crouch- 
ing boy by the collar with one hand, the cow- 
hide whip in the other. He was a big, coarse- 
56 


PARTNERS THREE 57 

looking brute, half a head taller than the Doc- 
tor, and he was evidently in an ugly mood. The 
look with which he turned to meet the Doctor 
would have caused almost any one to pause. 

But, as I said, the Doctor had a temper, and 
now for the first time I saw it roused in all its 
might. It was a glorious spectacle. Before 
the man had time to utter a word, the Doctor 
was upon him, with a rush and a roar. 

“ You damn scoundrel ! ” he thundered. “ How 
dare you ! ” 

The sound of his voice, I guess, was more 
terrifying than anything the man had encoun- 
tered before. At any rate, it seemed to de- 
prive him of all power of resistance. The Doc- 
tor seized the whip and yanked it from his 
hand. Then he pulled the boy loose from the 
grip on his collar. 

“ How dare you whip this boy ! 99 he thun- 
dered again. “ How dare you ! 99 

“ None of your damn business ! 99 growled 
back the man, in a surly way, meeting the Doc- 
tor’s gaze with a great show of fierceness. 
“ He’s my son and I’ll beat him as much as I 
like ! ” 

The withering scorn and hatred with which 
the Doctor answered this outburst were be- 
yond description. He seemed to rise and swell 
with the mightiness of the feelings that surged 
within him. He was about to explode in another 


58 PARTNERS THREE 

roar of words, but checked himself and looked 
the man over in silence. His face was livid, his 
brows drawn down in a fearful way, and the 
words he spoke in a low voice seemed to hiss 
from his trembling lips. 

“ If you ever raise your hand to this boy 
again, I’ll take this whip to you and I’ll flog 
you to within an inch of your life! — Do you 
hear what I say? Well, by Heaven, I mean it ! ” 

The man was frightened and he showed it. 

“He’s my son. What’s it got to do with 
you ? ” he blurted out, sullenly. 

“ Never mind that,” said the Doctor, in the 
same low, quivering voice, “ I don’t care whose 
son he is. No man has a right to beat a boy, 
and you’d better not try it again.” 

“ Who the hell are you? ” retorted the man. 

The Doctor’s only answer was to look him 
over, as before. Then he turned to the boy. 
The poor little fellow had stood looking on in 
bewilderment, forgetting his own hurts. Now 
he began sobbing again. 

“ That’s all right now, sonny,” said the Doc- 
tor, patting his shoulder. “ It’s hard lines, I 
know, but it isn’t going to happen again. 
Stop your crying a minute and listen to me. — 
There— there ” 

The boy managed to swallow his sobs. He 
still hung his head, but stole a look up at his 
father. 


PARTNERS THREE 59 

“ What’s your name? ” asked the Doctor. 

“ Willie.” 

“ Willie what? ” 

“ Willie Cassidy.” 

“ Well, Willie, my name is Doctor Joyce. 
Remember that — Doctor Joyce, and I live near 
Portchester. That’s my address. — You can 
write, can’t you ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“Well then, if your father ever whips you 
again, write a line to me and let me know. — 
Don’t forget.” 

So saying, the Doctor turned and looked Mr. 
Cassidy over again, tossed the whip to the 
ground and left the scene. He vaulted the fence, 
came to the automobile and proceeded to crank 
it up. As he took his place in the seat beside 
me, he gave a glance back over the fence. The 
man had picked up the whip and was striding 
back with it toward the house. The boy still 
stood where he had been left, staring out at 
the Doctor in a forlorn, bewildered way. 

“ The damn scoundrel ! ” muttered the Doc- 
tor, as he put out his hand to start the machine, 
“ think of using a horse-whip on a little tot 
like that ! ” 

Then the machine moved forward and we rode 
on toward home for some time without uttering 
a word. 

Before we reached home, the machine began 


6o PARTNERS THREE 


to go wrong. She came to a stop for no ap- 
parent reason, and I had to jump out and crank 
her up. This happened two or three times. 
We managed to get her home, however, and 
there, after a lengthy investigation, the Doctor 
diagnosed the trouble as a leak in the inlet 
valve. He was still not like himself. There 
was a set expression on his face, he seemed nerv- 
ous and preoccupied, and handled the tools in 
a jerky, irritable way. Suddenly he paused and 
looked at me. 

“ I wish I’d wrung that fellow’s neck ! It 
makes my blood boil! — Pie, I haven’t felt that 
way, for years, — but when I see a big brute of 
a man beating a boy, it’s too much for me. 
Something flares up inside of me and I feel as 
dangerous as a tiger cat ! ” 4 

He turned back to the work and we finally 
got the valve fixed tight. While I put the tools 
away, the Doctor, still pursuing his thoughts, 
sat down on the step of the automobile. All at 
once, he burst out in a peal of laughter. 

“ 1 was thinking, Pie, of the expression on 
his face when I grabbed him! He looked kind 
of frightened — didn’t he? It’s a good thing 
that everybody feels that way when you catch 
them doing something they ought to be ashamed 
of. No matter how big and ugly they are, you 
can knock ’em into a cocked hat ! 

“It’s a curious phenomenon, Pie,” he went 


PARTNERS THREE 61 


on, — “ I’ve often observed it. A man who is in 
the wrong can’t stand up against a man who is 
in the right. — We read about those trials by 
combat they used to have in the Middle Ages. 
If one man accused another of a crime, they’d 
let the two fight it out with swords. The man 
that won was vindicated and everybody accepted 
the verdict. Most people nowadays laugh at 
such an idea, because they imagine that a big 
rascal always had the best of it. But when you 
study human nature intelligently, you can see 
that the custom was really founded on wisdom 
and morality. The same thing is true of the 
duelling system which is still practised in many 
countries. In the long run, it fulfils the needs 
of justice every bit as well as the pettifogging 
machinery of our law courts. It all resolves 
itself to that general principle which we saw ex- 
emplified to-day. The man who does wrong and 
is caught at it becomes a coward. He just can’t 
help himself.” 

I sat on a barrel near by, drinking in his 
words with delight, as I always did. He lighted 
a cigarette and sat puffing it a moment, fol- 
lowing the train of his thought in silence. Then 
he looked me over slowly, as if hesitating 
whether to tell me what was in his mind. He 
was more like himself again. 

“ Pie,” he said at length, “ it’s an awful thing 
to be ashamed of yourself — I mean, to do some- 


62 PARTNERS THREE 

thing that’s unworthy of you and then to realise, 
fully and soberly, the vileness of what you’ve 
done. It’s an awful thing, Pie. You can’t get 
away from it.” 

He paused and puffed his cigarette, then he 
looked me over again, thoughtfully. 

“ Did you ever notice that scar on Tony’s 
forehead? ” 

J knew what he meant. Tony had an odd 
scar on the left side, just above her temple. 
It was not very noticeable — she could have con- 
cealed it easily enough by wearing her hair 
differently. I had often been tempted to ask 
her about the scar, but had refrained from doing 
so for fear of hurting her feelings. 

“ Well, that was my work,” said the Doctor. 
“At one time I used to be a pretty hard 
drinker, Pie. I drank a good deal more than was 
good for me. I’ve always had a special fond- 
ness for good wines and good whiskey. They’re 
delicious things, my boy, if your taste is tuned 
to them. I flattered myself about my taste, and 
I saw no reason for neglecting to gratify it as 
often as occasion offered. — Did Tony ever tell 
you how I came across her in Switzerland and 
how I happened to take her under my wing? ” 

I nodded assent. 

“ Did she say anything about my drink- 
ing? ” 

“ No, sir.” 


PARTNERS THREE 63 

“ And she never told you how I gave her that 
scar? ” 

“ Oh, no, sir, she never said a word about 
that.” 

“ I suppose not. Of course, she wouldn’t. — 
Well, the fact is, Pie, as I said before, in those 
days I was drinking a good deal. It did me no 
harm, that I could see, — indeed, I felt that it 
did me a good deal of good. It relieved the 
moments of monotony that come in all lives ; it 
added a zest to conversation, and it seemed to 
stimulate in me the flow of important ideas. 
Why shouldn’t I drink as much, and as often, as 
I liked? I did.” 

He paused a moment and puffed his cigarette. 

“ Well, one night, when we were living in St. 
Petersburg, I dined with some of my Russian 
acquaintances at the club and we kept on drink- 
ing throughout the entire night. The result of 
our conviviality was, that when I set out for 
home, in the early morning, I had been trans- 
formed into a brute. I was just about on a level 
with that Mr. Cassidy we met this afternoon, 
exercising his feelings on the back of his son. 
How I managed to find the house we lived in, I 
don’t know ; but I was always very fortunate in 
that respect. No matter what my condition 
might be, I had that subtle instinct which guides 
a man home to his own door, and gets him up 
the stairs. 


64 PARTNERS THREE 

“When I floundered in, I found Tony up, 
waiting for me. Similar home-comings, on my 
part, I regret to say, had occurred before. The 
poor child was more or less used to them and 
she always behaved like a little trump. This 
time, the breakfast table was set and she asked 
me if I would have my breakfast. My recollec- 
tion of the scene is naturally somewhat blurred, 
but I remember her remark about breakfast, be- 
cause it struck me as comical and sent me off in 
a roar of laughter. Then a notion seized me 
that I would go out again and join my friends. 
Tony tried to reason with me and keep me from 
my folly, but it was no use, and I started for 
the door. On the way I stumbled and she took 
hold of me to keep me from falling. Before I 
got out, I had thrown her aside with such vio- 
lence that she fell to the floor. Her head struck 
the comer of the brass fender. That’s where 
I left her and that’s where I should probably 
have found her, when I came back, a couple of 
hours later, if the concierge’s wife hadn’t hap- 
pened to be there before me. The old woman 
came in a few minutes after I left, and discov- 
ered Tony, still unconscious, lying in a pool of 
blood. She had sense enough to run for a doc- 
tor, and before I returned Tony’s life had been 
saved.” 

The Doctor lighted another cigarette and 


PARTNERS THREE 65 

gazed at the floor, absorbed in his thoughts. 
Then he lifted his hand impressively. 

“ Pie, that was the vilest moment of my life. 
There was nothing I could do that would ever 
set things right. Just suppose I had killed her ! 
That was spared me, but I learned what it was 
to be ashamed of myself. It was horrible. As 
soon as I could talk to Tony, I took a vow that 
I would never touch another drop of wine as 
long as she stayed with me. I never have, Pie, 
and I don’t think I will. 

“ At times, it’s been quite a deprivation. Good 
wine is an excellent thing and is entitled to its 
place in the world’s stock of pleasures. But I 
lost my right to it. There is just one failing 
I won’t accept in a man. He can be as dis- 
honest as he pleases and have a hundred vices, 
without troubling my peace of mind. But he 
mustn’t be a brute. Above all, he mustn’t harm 
a child. That’s something I can’t stand, and, 
Pie, my boy, whatever the consequences, don’t 
you stand it, either! 

“ — What does your silver watch say? It 
must be time for something to eat.” 


CHAPTER VII 


P IE,” said the Doctor, one night, “ the 
trouble with you is that you try too 
hard.” 

It was after supper, and the three 
of us were seated comfortably in his study, 
where a wood fire was crackling in the fire-place. 
A short time before, he had started Tony and 
me on our daily writing exercises, which we con- 
tinued pretty regularly from that time on. Each 
day, whenever we felt like it, we were to write 
down, on a sheet of paper, anything that came 
to our minds. It made no difference what the 
subject was, — we could describe something we 
had seen, or express our idea on some question 
we might choose, or tell about something that 
had occurred during the day in the kitchen, or 
the garden, or anywhere. The Doctor held that 
it should be an important part of everybody’s 
education to learn how to think for himself, and 
to be able to express his thoughts clearly and 
intelligently. He made the remark I have quoted 
above after reading over the sheet of paper I 
had handed him. 

“ Nearly everything that’s done well, in this 
world, is done without conscious effort. The 
man who has to struggle and sweat over a thing 
66 


PARTNERS THREE 67 

usually makes a botch of it. It’s the fellow that 
whistles, or hums a tune, at his job who turns 
out the pretty workmanship. I know this is 
contrary to the general notion. Most instruc- 
tors of youth begin by impressing upon a boy 
that he must struggle and slave and swallow 
bitter pills from morning till night, before he 
can hope to accomplish anything. Most in- 
structors of youth have been boys who followed 
those teachings. They don’t amount to any- 
thing, themselves, and the ideas they grind out 
are on a par with them. It’s stuff and nonsense ! 

“ The best things in this world are good 
health, good spirits, and big ideas. You can’t 
get any of them, Pie, forcing the mind, or the 
body, against its inclination. Health and good 
spirits and ideas are like flowers and pigs. 
What they want is fresh air and sunshine, and 
plenty to eat. Flowers don’t want the same 
kind of food as pigs, and there’s the same dif- 
ference among boys and girls and grown-up 
people. The right theory of education, in my 
opinion, is to give them access to all kinds of 
supplies, and let them pick and choose, absorb 
and reject, as nearly as possible, in accordance 
with their own hidden instincts and inclinations. 
Don’t make them stay in the house when they 
want to go out, don’t make them work when 
they want to play, and don’t force algebra and 
Greek roots into their heads with a crow-bar, 


68 PARTNERS THREE 


when they’re thirsting to hear poetry, or to learn 
how to sail a boat. 

“ Of course I am exaggerating a little and 
there are certain modifications and restrictions 
that have to be introduced into the practice, 
even if the theory is correct. The theory is 
correct — I am sure of it. The day is bound 
to come when it will be recognised by some of the 
befogged gentlemen who are directing education, 
and the senseless, stifling methods they now 
employ will be completely revolutionised. I’ve 
been meaning to write a book on the subject, 
but there are a great many details to be worked 
out, and I wouldn’t care to undertake it, unless 
I did it thoroughly. However, one of these 
days I’ll get to it. 

“ Everybody in this world isn’t lazy and bad, 
and hasn’t got to be beaten with a stick. On 
the contrary, most people who have any stuff 
in them are like you and Tony. They’re over- 
anxious, they try too hard, they’re always ready 
to take on a bigger burden than is good for 
them. — Now here are these writing exercises. 
I didn’t ask you to strain yourselves over them. 
I didn’t give you some subject that might not 
appeal to you, and say you’ve got to write 
about that, and you’ve got to write so many 
hundred words, whether you feel like it or not. 
I said you were to suit yourselves and get all 
the fun out of it you could, — didn’t I, now? 


PARTNERS THREE 69 

What’s the result? You’re both trying too 
hard — you, Pie, especially. You’re so anxious 
to become a fine writer that you won’t let your- 
self grow into it naturally.” 

He smoothed out the paper I had given him, 
and began reading aloud. I had chosen for 
my subject, that day, “ The Coming of Win- 
ter.” We had had a frost, the preceding night, 
and when I went out that morning to fetch the 
wood for the kitchen fire, the cold wind cut 
my face and made me shiver and tingle. I 
realised, for the first time, that winter would 
soon be upon us and began thinking what a dif- 
ference it was going to make in the lives of all 
the creatures on the farm. After dinner, out 
in the barn, I had written nearly two full sheets 
of foolscap. The Doctor was right; I was 
trying too hard, and some of the sentences, as 
he read them, sounded so absurdly high-flown 
and unnatural, that I blushed with shame. 

“ That’s all right, Pie,” said the Doctor, re- 
assuringly, when he saw how I felt. “ Take it 
all in all, that’s a first-rate effort. All I am 
trying to make you understand is that you will 
please me just as much, and get along quite as 
well, if you take it more easily. — Now suppose, 
to-morrow, you don’t struggle at all. When 
you take up your pencil, put a smile on your 
face. If you can’t smile, don’t write a word. 
We will give it a try and see what we get. 


70 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Remember now, both of you, — and no de- 
ception! ” He looked from Tony to me, in his 
mock-serious way, and cocked up his eyebrow. 
64 If you write at all, to-morrow, you must be- 
gin with these words : ‘I am smiling/ 99 

The idea was so comical that Tony and I 
burst out laughing. He joined in and we made 
the room ring. 

Many times, in the years that followed, the 
Doctor expressed his views on this subject. His 
idea was, in general, that a man’s best work 
comes with a sense of pleasure and spontaneity, 
and not with toil and pain. He cited many 
examples. Isaac Newton, La Fontaine and his 
fables, Virgil, Shakespeare, Raphael, Michael 
Angelo, and a dozen others of the highest fame, 
all appeared to him to furnish a glorious vindi- 
cation of his theories. 

In his own manner of living and working, he 
practised them absolutely. I don’t believe that 
any circumstance was capable of making him 
act contrary to his mood or inclination. Noth- 
ing could worry him and nothing could hurry 
him. If things went wrong, he simply refused 
to be harassed by them. He kept his serenity 
of mind; accepted the good or the bad, as it 
came, and allowed the gladsome spirit within 
him to go its way rejoicing. 

That summer, his brain was “ playing ” prin- 
cipally with two new inventions. One was a 


PARTNERS THREE 71! 

flying machine, and the other was the wonderful 
roller steam-ship, to which I have already re- 
ferred. As time wore on, he allowed me to help 
him in making models and trying experiments, 
and so took me into his confidence. 

The flying machine he had conceived differed 
radically from the inventions of Professor Lang- 
ley, Santos-Dumont and other aeronauts, whose 
experiments were attracting considerable atten- 
tion at that time. 

“ If you want to fly in the air,” he said, in 
explaining it, “ the first thing you’ve got to 
do is to keep afloat. If you resort to a gas 
bag, for that purpose, the wind is too much 
for you. If your machine is heavier than the 
air, and relies solely on its speed to keep it up, 
the slightest defect or miscalculation hurls you 
to destruction. Those are the two horns of the 
dilemma, and all the experiments you read about 
have kept bumping into one or the other. We 
add a second propeller to our machine. It is 
placed on top, directly above the centre, and 
as it revolves it pulls the machine up into the air 
and keeps it there. That is the solution of the 
problem. It is very simple. That’s the way; 
with most of the great ideas that have revolu- 
tionised the world. They’re so simple, that cen- 
turies passed by and thousands of millions of 
men came and went, before it occurred to any 
one to give them a thought.” 


72 PARTNERS THREE 

The idea of the other invention, the roller 
steam-ship, was to make a boat which, instead of 
resting in the water and ploughing through it, 
was to be held up in the air between huge wheels 
or air-tight cylinders. These were arranged in 
much the same way as wheels are attached to a 
wagon and would roll along over the surface 
of the water just as a wagon does on the 
ground. Instead of having two pairs of wheels 
like a wagon, the boat would require three or 
four pairs of cylinders to supply the necessary 
buoyancy. 

“ Suppose you took the wheels off a wagon,” 
explained the Doctor, “ put a flat bottom on it 
and made the horses drag it, that way? The 
friction over an uneven road, or any kind of 
a road, would make it slow work and hard work 
for the horses. That’s very similar to the sit- 
uation of a boat in the water. It occurred to 
some man’s mind, centuries ago, to lift the 
wagon off the road and support it on wheels, 
and thus get rid of the friction. In all the 
intervening centuries, up to the present time, 
it’s queer that no one thought of doing the 
same thing with a boat. But there you are! 
It came to me one day out of a clear sky, and 
the result is a new invention, the most important 
perhaps that it shall be my fortune to conceive.” 

We made, in all, that summer and autumn, 
three different models of this new kind of boat, 


PARTNERS THREE 73 

but none of them proved exactly satisfactory. 
The Doctor’s idea was, when we got one with the 
right proportions to meet the requirements, that 
we would equip it with a powerful steel spring 
and give ourselves the pleasure of seeing it 
navigate the waters of Long Island Sound. But 
we didn’t get that far, for the time being. The 
making of the right sort of cylinders was a 
delicate and complicated piece of work for us, 
and there were numerous modifications in the 
plans, as we went along. 

The same thing was true of the models we 
tried to make for the flying machine. The Doc- 
tor’s idea was that eventually we would get one 
worked out sufficiently well to enable us to fit 
it with steel springs, and see it fly through the 
air, about the farm. But there were countless 
intricacies in the details of this plan, which kept 
postponing the moment of realisation. 

As I said before, he regarded our efforts and 
experiments, for all the world, as if they were 
a merry pastime. We worked at the models, 
only at irregular intervals, when he felt in the 
mood. He never gave a sign of impatience or 
disappointment, when we ran into a difficulty, 
or saw the careful work of days end up in a 
bungle. It was instructive and enlightening, he 
said, — there was plenty of time for details to 
be worked out, and results to be perfected. — 
The ideas were there, and now that they had 


74 PARTNERS THREE 

come into being, they would always remain. 
That was the only thing that counted. 

So the summer and autumn passed. They 
were filled with happiness, peace, and refreshing 
activity, for' all three of us. As I look back at 
it, and think of Doctor Joyce, from day to day 
and week to week, it seems to me that the life 
he chose to lead at that little farm-house was 
idyllic and ideal. He called himself a philoso- 
pher, and what could be nobler or grander than 
the philosophy that found and gave content- 
ment in such simplicity? It seemed to me then, 
and it seems to me now, that no poor boy or 
girl ever knew such a master. Tony and I were 
blessed indeed for the privilege of serving him. 

Winter was at hand, and it was very cold. 
One day, when the Doctor came back from a 
trip to New York, he informed us that we were 
to say good-bye to the farm. He had made ar- 
rangements for us to move to New York. 


CHAPTER VIII 


O UR abode in New York was not very 
roomy or luxurious. It was a fur- 
nished flat, three flights up, over a 
grocery store on Eighth Avenue 
near 12th Street. Our flat took up the entire 
floor, but the house was not large. It was 
five stories high, with a narrow staircase go- 
ing up from floor to floor, and no elevator or 
dumb-waiter, such as modern apartment houses 
are equipped with. We had a kitchen, three bed- 
rooms, and one fairly large room, which had to 
do service as a dining-room, sitting-room, and 
the Doctor’s study, all combined. There was a 
small alcove adjoining this room, and in it we 
put the Doctor’s bookcases, tin boxes, and the 
models and materials connected with the work 
on his inventions. 

The flat was supposed to be furnished. It 
was, after a fashion, but that was rather a 
dingy and unattractive one. Only a few of the 
things at the farm, it appeared, belonged to the 
Doctor. Most of them had been rented with 
the place. The Doctor’s things consisted prin- 
cipally of kitchen utensils, plates and glasses, 
towels and linen, a couch, a table, some chairs, 
75 


76 PARTNERS THREE 

and his bookcases. These were put into a van 
and carted to New York, when we left the farm. 
The animals on the place had to be sold, or given 
away, even the trusty Bo. 

We made our trip to town in the automobile 
— the Doctor and I in the front seat, Tony, 
with a heap of odds and ends, in the rear. I 
was inclined to feel a little wistful, as we started 
out the gate, and turned our backs on the farm, 
perhaps for the last time. The Doctor appar- 
ently had no sympathy for such feeling. He 
was never in higher spirits, and he did not even 
turn his head for a farewell look. 

“ Come, come, Pie,” he said, in his cheeriest 
voice, as he saw the tears starting to my eyes. 
— “ You are not going to a funeral, but to more 
fun and better times. A great city opens wel- 
coming arms to us. Never worry about what is 
passed and left behind. The future is a hundred 
times brighter than any past, if we only make 
up our minds to find it so.” 

Tony felt no regret either, or at least, she 
showed no signs of it. They had travelled so 
much and lived in so many places that I suppose 
another change, more or less, seemed to them 
only a minor incident, without consequence. 

After we got to our new home, the Doctor 
took the automobile away to some garage. A 
few days later, when I asked him about it, he 


PARTNERS THREE 77 

said that it had outlived its usefulness and he 
had sold it. He hoped its new owner would be 
able to manipulate it successfully, but, at any 
rate, he was sure to get his money’s worth of 
instruction in making the attempt. 

Our landlady was a widow, named Mrs. Jowls. 
She owned and ran the grocery store on the 
ground floor, as well as the house above it. She 
was stout and middle-aged, with a very alert 
and friendly manner. She seemed to take a 
great personal interest in all her tenants, and 
was continually bobbing in and out of our 
rooms, at all hours of the day. Her flow of 
conversation was unceasing. Her favourite 
topic was her own affairs, — details of her gro- 
cery business and peculiarities of her customers, 
and the various common-place occurrences in the 
lives of her lodgers on the different floors. She 
appeared to know everything about everybody 
that came under her roof, and when she was not 
talking about herself, or the late Mr. Jowls, she 
was beating about the bush to acquire gossip 
and information. From the day of our arrival, 
she showed excessive consideration for the Doc- 
tor. She went out of her way to do him little 
services that were often unnecessary and un- 
called for. She would pop in upon us in the 
morning, when the Doctor was at his breakfast, 
and ask whether he found the coffee any better. 
It was some she had had roasted and ground, 


78 PARTNERS THREE 

herself, that morning, especially for him. She 
would arrange to let him have it every morning, 
that way, just enough for the day’s use, and it 
would cost him no more than if he had bought it 
by the pound. Or she would bring up half a 
dozen fresh eggs, before the Doctor was up, and 
exchange them for an equal number of those 
we had left over from a previous purchase. She 
gave advice and offered assistance in countless 
ways connected with our household affairs. 

Any other man but the Doctor, I am sure, 
would have found her annoying. As time wore 
on, Tony took to imitating her and mimicking 
her, and I could easily see, f rom the way she re- 
ceived Mrs. Jowls’s visits to the kitchen, that 
the good woman’s efforts to be obliging were 
wasted in that direction. Mrs. Jowls always 
treated Tony as an inferior, as if she were a 
cook, or a house-maid, and sometimes this atti- 
tude was so marked that it made my blood boil. 
Tony didn’t mind ; she only laughed at me when 
I spoke about it. That was Tony’s way. She 
wouldn’t stop to trouble her peace of mind about 
so small a matter as Mrs. Jowls. 

I had a good deal more time on my hands in 
our new home than I had had at the farm. 
There was no automobile to take care of, no 
garden, or chicken house, or wood pile, and very 
few chores to be done. Consequently, I was able 
to take up a course of reading and study under 


PARTNERS THREE 79 

the Doctor’s direction. Among other things, he 
set me to work on Latin and Greek, but instead 
of making a drudgery of it, as it is in schools, 
he went about my instruction in such a novel and 
easy way that I found delight in every moment 
of it. Tony was busy most of the day with the 
meals, mending and sewing, and doing little 
things to make the flat neat and tidy-looking. 
But very often she would sit by, with her work 
in her lap, listening to the Doctor’s instruction. 

After we had made some more ineffectual at- 
tempts to contrive a satisfactory model for the 
roller boat, the Doctor finally decided to turn 
that task over to a professional boat-builder. In 
due time a model was completed. It was made 
of mahogany and brass throughout, and was a 
beautiful piece of workmanship. It must have 
cost the Doctor a pretty penny. 

Before long, two more inventions were con- 
ceived by the Doctor. The first of these was a 
new process for making fresh shoe leather out 
of worn-out and cast-off shoes. The idea was to 
grind up pieces of old leather and then, by treat- 
ing them with a glutinous liquid, turn them into 
leather again — somewhat in the same way that 
paper is made of wood pulp. The saving in 
cost made possible by such an invention was, 
according to the Doctor, almost incalculable. 

“ Think of it, Pie, my boy ! In this city alone, 
some two million people are, at the present mo- 


80 PARTNERS THREE 

ment, wearing shoes, — two shoes to each person, 
that’s four million shoes in actual wear. I 
once knew a man who kept over two dozen pairs 
of shoes in his closet for his own use. There 
are plenty of other people, men and women of 
means, who are almost as extravagant in that 
direction. Each pair of shoes wears out, sooner 
or, later, and is thrown away. Old shoes are not 
worth a cent to anybody, at present, and the 
supply to be had is enormous. By a simple in- 
vention we turn that old trash into fresh leather 
again. We enable the poor man and his family 
to have twice as many shoes as they ever had 
before, at half the price. That’s worth puzzling 
our brains over a little, isn’t it? ” 

The puzzle lay in finding the proper ingredi- 
ents for the compound. From time to time the 
Doctor purchased a supply of chemicals, glues 
and liquids, a mortar, retorts and the like, that 
made our alcove look like a prescription depart- 
ment at the druggist’s. 

The other invention was of a very different 
nature, and it came to the Doctor in a curious 
and characteristic way. One afternoon Tony 
and I were sitting together in the large room. 
I was reading a book of French history aloud 
to her, while she sat at the other side of the 
table darning the Doctor’s socks. All at once, 
the outside door opened and the Doctor came 
bursting in upon us. His appearance was such 


PARTNERS THREE 81 

that we both jumped up with a cry. He was 
dripping wet from head to foot, his clothes 
were mud-stained, his hair was a dishevelled mass 
and there was a big mark on his cheek, where 
something had struck him. 

“ Oh, Doctor ! ” cried Tony in wild fright, as 
she jumped up. 

He stood back and looked from one to the 
other of us, then burst out laughing. 

“ 1 don’t wonder you stare at me like that,” 
he said. “ If I look anything like the way I 
feel, I must be a handsome spectacle. I was 
afraid Mrs. Jowls would catch sight of me, on 
my way in, and wash her hands of me forever! ” 

“What happened?” asked Tony, breathless 
with suspense and anxiety. 

“ What happened? ” he cried. — “ A most re- 
markable thing ! A beautiful and colossal thing ! 
I wouldn’t have missed it for an empire! — I fol- 
lowed a hook-and-ladder company to a fire, over 
by Union Square. When I arrived there, by 
some strange chance, I found myself in the di- 
rect line of a fireman’s hose, just as it was turned 
on. The force of that column of water! You 
can’t imagine it. I felt it and I know ! It struck 
me squarely between the shoulders and carried 
me down in the gutter before it, like a chip in 
a freshet. It was all over in a minute and I was 
on my feet again with a laughing, jeering crowd 
about me. It was a simple, natural thing, you 


8z PARTNERS THREE 

would say, of no special consequence. So it was ; 
and so was the falling of that apple from the 
tree, which revealed to Isaac Newton the law of 
gravitation. While I was still rolling in the 
gutter, in the deluge of muddy water, the sig- 
nificance of its force flashed through me. When 
I scrambled to my feet, an object of derision to 
the multitude, I enjoyed one of the happiest 
moments in the life of man. An idea had sprung 
to life within me, — an idea whose results and 
benefits to the civilised world may be stupendous. 

“ The force of that hose, — the power of a 
column of water released under pressure, — 
that’s the essence of the idea. Now follow it. 
Suppose the nozzle of that hose were fastened 
to the stern of a boat? What would happen 
if the force that struck my back were directed 
against the mass of water behind the boat? It 
would shove the boat forward with great and 
sudden speed, would it not? And you have a 
new system of propulsion. — Now carry the idea 
one step further. Suppose that your hose is 
made of iron coiled around in the body of the 
boat? — As the water passes through it, you 
heat the water rapidly, by means of a hot fire 
placed under the coils. What happens? The 
water, as it passes through, is converted into 
steam. Its force and pressure are thereby in- 
creased many hundred times. Think of the 
energy with which it will rush from the nozzle 


PARTNERS THREE 83 

at the stern of the boat, and hit the water be- 
hind. Think of the simplicity of the machine — 
the saving of expense, as great as the gain in 
power. All you require is a coil of iron pipe, 
ending at the stern of the boat, a hot fire, placed 
under the coil, and a simple device to take up 
the sea water from the bow of the boat, to keep 
your hose going. 

“ There is the idea, my children, in all the 
freshness of its conception. You are the first 
to hear it, and I am glad and proud to have 
it so.” 

He held out his hands to us and took our 
hands in his, one on each side. He looked down 
on Tony and me, shaking and squeezing our 
hands, radiant with happiness. 

“ Joyce, Bonnet & Pie have done a good day’s 
work, — haven’t they, hein? — And don’t forget 
what happens to a man who gets in the way of 
a fireman’s hose ! ” 


CHAPTER IX 


1 HAD seen the Doctor, thus far, enjoying 
comparative riches. Now I saw him 
gradually overtaken by poverty. A short 
while before I met him, he had sold out 
one of his inventions — a device for making 
cigarettes by hand. A French firm had paid 
him a lump sum for it. This money he had 
used to rent and renovate the farm-house, to 
buy the automobile, and meet the various ex- 
penses of our summer. 

From what Tony told me, I gathered that 
the Doctor had been in easy circumstances, 
nearly all his life. He used to have a lot of se- 
curities, bonds, etc., with coupons attached to 
them, which brought him in a liberal income. At 
the time his London company failed, he had had 
to sell most of these. A few had been saved 
from the wreck and the royalties he received 
from his cigarette patent had helped him out. 
Now, however, this patent had been finally dis- 
posed of and there was nothing left but the 
remnants of his securities. These, I suspect, 
he had been selling, one by one, as occasion re- 
quired. Not many of them were left when we 
came to New York. 


84 


PARTNERS THREE 85 

The Doctor was as indifferent and superior 
to monetary considerations as it is possible for 
a human being to be. When money was at hand, 
he spent it freely. If the supply gave out, he 
seemed able, by some happy faculty, to com- 
pletely ignore the fact. 

“ A man of intellect, occupied with worthy 
ideas,” he said one night, “ should never permit 
himself to be worried by his material circum- 
stances. He belittles himself if he descends to 
their level. I shall, no doubt, be a millionaire, 
some day. Several of my inventions will have an 
incalculable value as soon as the world begins 
using them. We shall have more money than 
any one could spend in the wildest dreams of 
luxury. Why, then, should we bother our heads 
about such a trifle as the cost of living? ” 

Notwithstanding this philosophy, the time 
soon arrived when the Doctor’s pocketbook was 
empty. The tradespeople came with their bills, 
more and more frequently. The Doctor always 
greeted them cordially, said a few cheerful, re- 
assuring words and sent them away, without any 
occasion for unpleasantness. Fortunately, the 
greater part of our supplies came from Mrs. 
Jowls’s store, and somehow or other we man- 
aged to get along, for the time being. 

In the spring the Doctor delivered two lec- 
tures at Cooper Institute. His subject was “ In- 
ventors and Inventions,” and both lectures were 


86 PARTNERS THREE 

given in the evening. The large hall was quite 
well filled at the first lecture ; for the second one, 
it was literally packed to the doors. Tony and 
I, of course, were there, in the front row. No 
words of mine can express the pride and joy and 
excitement we felt to behold the Doctor on the 
platform, and hear him develop his ideas so 
easily and beautifully, before that crowd of 
people. 

Among those in the audience was a young 
man, a year or two older than I, whose name was 
George Hablin. He went up to the platform, 
after the second lecture, to speak to the Doctor, 
and the next day he came to our flat. This 
young man had an invention of his own, — a ma- 
chine for crushing ores, which he desired to sub- 
mit to the Doctor. 

The so-called invention proved to be worth- 
less. The discussions concerning it, however, 
were the beginning of an acquaintance which 
soon ripened into intimate relations with George 
Hablin, for all three of us. George’s father 
lived in Mexico, where he owned some copper 
mines. His father was an Englishman, while 
his mother was a Mexican, whom Mr. Hablin 
had met and married, on his way to the mines. 
George was a good-looking fellow, of medium 
height, with shiny black hair, a small moustache, 
and a rather sallow complexion. His father had 
sent him to New York for the purpose of study- 


PARTNERS THREE 87 

ing electrical engineering, at Columbia Univer- 
sity. Upon presenting himself at the Univer- 
sity, however, George discovered that he could 
not enter the Electrical School without passing 
rigorous examinations. The consequence was 
that, for nearly a year, he had been leading a 
more or less aimless existence in New York, 
making no progress at all in the direction his 
father had intended. He had a taste for art, 
and for the sake of doing something, he had 
joined a drawing class at Cooper Institute. 

George proved a very welcome visitor to our 
flat. He was of an impulsive and imaginative 
disposition, extremely affectionate and gener- 
ous. He gave proof of this generosity, at once, 
by insisting upon paying the Doctor liberally 
for his time and advice. The Doctor protested, 
of course, at the notion of accepting any re- 
muneration, but was finally obliged to comply. 

George had brought letters of introduction, 
when he came to New York, to some people of 
social prominence, with whom his father had 
relations. In this way, he formed a curious 
friendship with a young New Yorker, named 
Chauncey De Witt. The friendship was curious 
because Chauncey De Witt was a type of empty- 
headed, dissipated, fashionable youth, who 
seemed to have nothing in common with a fellow 
like George. Chauncey came, one day, with 
George to see the Doctor, and Tony and I were 


88 PARTNERS THREE 


simply overcome with wonderment at the figure 
he cut. We had never met anybody of his kind 
before. He had a large red automobile, driven 
by a chauffeur who was enveloped, from head to 
foot, in costly furs. This was at the beginning 
of our second winter in New York. 

“I say, you know,” said Chauncey to the 
Doctor, as soon as the introduction was over, 
44 George, here, has got me quite daffy with his 
hot-air talk about that steam-pipe roller-skate 
boat of yours. I go in for that sort of thing, 
more or less, you know, and if there is anything 
in the scheme, maybe I could be induced to take 
a flyer at it.” 

His voice was very high-pitched, and he ran 
his odd, slangy words together in a lazy, affected 
way, which made it difficult, at first, to under- 
stand what he was talking about. He wore a 
long fur coat, which reached almost to his heels 
and held a pair of light chamois-skin gloves in 
his hand. On one of his fingers was a heavy 
ring coiled in the shape of a serpent, with a 
turquoise head. He had watery, washed-out- 
looking blue eyes, and thin, delicate features, 
with a pale, unhealthy complexion. His hair was 
cut very short and this exaggerated the promi- 
nence of his ears, which were large and ill- 
shaped and stood out from his head almost at 
right angles. He had a silk hat and a big cane 
with silver trimmings. 


PARTNERS THREE 89 

We had heard George refer frequently to his 
friend, Chauncey De Witt, but we were totally 
unprepared for anything like that. Even the 
Doctor seemed taken aback by Chauncey’s open- 
ing remarks, and there was a momentary pause 
before his ready wit could frame a reply. 

“ George has explained the idea to you, has 
he? And you think you might like to take a 
flyer at it? That’s very interesting. All kinds 
of flyers are interesting. What kind of a flyer 
would you like yours to be?” 

George began the laughter, and it was too 
much for all of us. Tony made a frantic effort 
to restrain herself — she turned away and put 
her face in her apron. Chauncey gave a puzzled 
look at the Doctor, then he glanced at George, 
accepted his mirth and began laughing, himself, 
in a high, nervous falsetto. The Doctor, who 
was always ready for a laugh, welcomed the 
opportunity and burst out with his golden roar. 
I joined in and, the ice being broken, no time 
was lost in making Chauncey feel at home. I 
helped him off with his coat; Tony took his 
hat, stick, and gloves; and, after being com- 
fortably seated, he undertook to explain the 
nature of the “ flyer ” he had in mind. 

“ I’ve gone in quite a bit, you know, for motor 
boats and that sort of thing. What I mean is, 
I haven’t owned a boat yet myself and I’m a 
perfect duffer about machinery and that sort 


90 PARTNERS THREE 

of thing, but I went about a good deal last sum- 
mer in motor boats. I am daffy about them and 
I’m thinking about getting one for next sum- 
mer. If you go in for that sort of thing, you 
know, it’s no fun unless you have a ripper. 
That’s what I’m after. I want a boat that will 
go like a blue streak, and make the other fellow 
look like a postage-stamp. There’s no use makin’ 
best bets on yourself, and raisin’ a hullabaloo, 
if you’re going to let somebody else give you 
the merry ha, ha. What I mean is, I want the 
best ever. Georgie, here, has filled me full of 
your roller-skate idea. He’s willing to give odds 
that you can turn out a boat for me which will 
make an eighty Panhard look wuzzy. Now what 
I mean is, if you think you can do the trick, 
and the tariff isn’t too steep, why you can count 
me in for a flyer.” 

I have given his language as nearly as I can 
remember it. Many of the expressions he used 
were wholly new to me, and presumably also to 
the Doctor. Nevertheless, the nature of the 
proposition, absurd as it might appear ou 
Chauncey’s lips, was full of exciting possi- 
bilities. 

About the only thing that remained to be 
done for the Doctor’s great invention, to bring 
it before the world and gain it acceptance by 
ship-builders, was a working model and a practi- 
cal demonstration. For some time the Doctor 


PARTNERS THREE 91 

had been making attempts to interest men of 
prominence in his patent. The only encourage- 
ment they gave him was a cold promise that, 
when he had constructed a working model and 
could show them his boat in operation, they 
would send a representative to report on the 
trials. This attitude had not discouraged the 
Doctor in the least. He said it was the same 
as had confronted all important discoveries from 
the beginning of time. None of the ship men, 
whose concerns were worth millions, volunteered 
to contribute a cent for the testing of an idea 
which might be of such tremendous importance 
to them. The Doctor would have preferred to 
dispense entirely with their co-operation, but a 
working model would cost money and, as I have 
intimated, his own funds were low. This propo- 
sition of Chauncey’s might prove to be the so- 
lution of the whole difficulty. 

The Doctor received it very calmly. He had 
me fetch the mahogany model and place it on 
the dining table for Chauncey’s inspection. 
Then he explained, in language that a child 
could understand, how he had combined his idea 
of the roller boat with his other idea of the fire- 
man’s hose — the coiled iron pipe and the force 
of the steam pressure. Chauncey listened to the 
explanations, at first, with a slightly puzzled 
expression, but when he found that he could 
understand all the Doctor was saying, he grew 


92 PARTNERS THREE 

enthusiastic and jubilant, breaking out in weird 
slangy exclamations, as the Doctor proceeded. 

The upshot of the discussion was that the 
Doctor consented to make plans and calculations 
for a roller boat, which would be large enough 
to carry four persons — thirty or forty feet in 
length — and would consult with a boat-builder 
as to its cost. As soon as he arrived at definite 
figures, he would submit them to Chauncey and a 
decision could be reached. Of course, he scorned 
the idea of considering any profit for himself. 
All he would ask of Chauncey in return for the 
honour he meant to confer upon him, by mak- 
ing him the owner of the world’s first roller 
steam boat, was permission to exhibit it, when 
convenient, to the tribe of capitalists and ship- 
ping men. In conclusion, he expressed -confi- 
dence that such a boat would be capable of 
making thirty-five or forty miles an hour, — 
possibly more. If all went well, he added, with 
his whimsical smile and one eyebrow cocked up, 
Chauncey could count on the fastest “ flyer ” 
afloat — a “ ripper,” the “ best ever,” that could 
give “ the merry ha, ha ” to anything and every- 
thing that came his way on the Sound. 

“ I’m daffy about it, you know — daffy as a 
cog,” chirped Chauncey. “ Just you dope out 
your figures and let me know the shot, and, if 
the Governor doesn’t sand-bag me, I’ll go you 
the limit ! ” 


PARTNERS THREE 93 

So saying, he shook each of us by the hand, 
trotted down the narrow stairs, and left us 
staring at him from the window, as he whirled 
away in his big, luxurious motor car. 

66 Out of the mouths of babes and suck- 
lings — ” said the Doctor. “Pie, my boy, there’s 
food for reflection in this. The ways of Provi- 
dence are often absurd and vastly entertaining. 
That silly boy’s name will, very likely, have its 
place in history.” 


CHAPTER X 


G EORGE HABLIN was in love. The 
revelation of his secret was made 
in the following way: 

One morning while the Doctor 
was out I had taken the book I was studying 
into my bedroom, so as to give Tony a free 
hand in the dining-room with her dusting. 
After a time George came in. I was so ab- 
sorbed in my work that I hardly noticed his 
arrival. Tony was just finishing her dusting 
and he helped her set the room to rights. All 
at once, George said something which made my 
heart stop beating. 

“ Tony,” I heard him say, “ sit down a min- 
ute, — won’t you? I want to have a talk with 
you. I want to tell you something.” 

It was the sound of his voice, rather than the 
words, that startled me. It was the voice of a 
lover. I had never heard it before, but there was 
no mistaking it. In a flash the thought leaped 
through me that George was in love with Tony 
— that he would ask her to marry him and take 
her away from the Doctor and me. Nothing 
is more remarkable than the rapidity with which 
the mind can think, under certain conditions. 
94 


PARTNERS THREE 95 

In an instant, I saw it all, realised it all, thought 
backwards and forwards from the day of 
George’s first visit to our rooms, to the present 
moment of his declaration and the future con- 
sequences. This whole panorama of thoughts 
was merged in a single sensation of abandon- 
ment and calamity. George was a traitor and 
Tony was to share in the treason! The idea 
that she could desert the Doctor and me was 
death to my heart. I could hate and despise 
her and, at the same time, she seemed more 
lovely, more precious, more necessary to our 
life and happiness, than ever before. 

I held my breath and listened. There was a 
long pause. Tony had evidently sat down and 
was waiting for George to begin the fateful 
words. 

“ Tony,” he said at length, in a suppressed, 
tremulous voice. “ I don’t exactly know how to 
say it, but I think you’ll understand, and I just 
feel that I can’t keep it to myself any longer. — 
I’m in love, Tony. — I’m terribly in love ! ” 

Then there was another long pause. I 
couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard her 
whisper his name. It seemed interminable be- 
fore he went on. 

“ It means everything to me ... I can’t 
think of anything else ... I won’t be good 
for anything until it’s settled one way or the 
other. — Have you ever been in love, Tony? ” 


96 PARTNERS THREE 

I strained my ears, but could hear nothing. 

“Well, you can take my word for it,” he 
went on, “ in a case like mine, it’s perfect 
hell!” 

Then, with his next words, the explosion 
came. Flames were quenched, the smoke cleared 
away, as if by magic, and I laughed to myself 
as I saw how easily the world could turn over 
and come back again to its normal aspect. 

“ She’s Chauncey De Witt’s sister. Her 
name’s Florence. You’ve never seen her, but I 
dare say she’ll be down here some day before 
long. She’s not a bit like Chauncey. There’s 
no use trying to describe her to you, but Fm 
crazy about her. I’ve been crazy about her al- 
most from the first day I met her.” 

That was the revelation and the manner of 
it. George wasn’t a traitor, then, and I was 
a crazy loon, and Tony — how absurd that such 
a ridiculous and unworthy thought could have 
found place in my imagination ! 

The cause of George’s torment was two-fold. 
In the first place, Florence’s attitude toward him 
was not wholly reassuring. From the begin- 
ning he had taken no pains to conceal his 
infatuation for her. Florence liked him. She 
met his advances from the start and encouraged 
them in many ways, but she wouldn’t commit 
herself. He couldn’t get her to promise to 
marry him, although she allowed him to feel 


PARTNERS THREE 97 

that they were as good as engaged. She kept 
eluding him, playing with him, torturing him, 
by the way she acted. That was the first 
trouble. The other was that Florence was a 
rich man’s daughter, and accustomed to every 
luxury. Her father was a hard-headed crotch- 
ety man, of the old-fashioned type. He was 
willing to indulge Florence in her every whim, 
as long as she remained under his roof, but he 
had always told her very plainly that he would 
have no young scalawag marrying her for her 
money. She was free to accept any one she 
chose, but, the day she left his house, she would 
have to look to her husband for her sole sup- 
port. That was Mr. De Witt’s idea of mar- 
riage, and he meant to enforce it. 

George had no money of his own. He could 
count on nothing from his father but a modest 
allowance — just enough to live on, respectably, 
as a student. He felt sure his father would dis- 
approve of his getting married, at the present 
time, and he would have to rely entirely on what 
he earned by his own efforts. His father was 
bent on having him become an electrical engi- 
neer and imagined that he was now making 
every effort to prepare himself for the exami- 
nations at Columbia University. George, him- 
self, had completely abandoned this idea. He 
wanted to remain in New York and marry Flor- 
ence. He cared nothing about engineering, or 


98 PARTNERS THREE 

mining, or electricity, and he was firmly resolved 
never to return to Mexico, as his father in- 
tended. 

These were George’s troubles, and from the 
iday he took Tony into his confidence, he showed 
no further hesitation in talking about them. I 
imagine he would have preferred to be always 
alone with Tony, when this subject was on his 
mind. Perhaps a woman, or a girl, has natu- 
rally more sympathy and a quicker understand- 
ing in sentimental affairs than a man or a boy. 
But I was usually there, when he came, and he 
included me in his confidences. I didn’t think 
of offering him any advice; neither did Tony, 
for that matter — especially before we had seen 
the object of his affections. After we made the 
acquaintance of Florence De Witt, our advice, 
I fear, would not have appealed to George. I’ll 
come to that, later. 

It seemed to me very strange, and it seems 
so now, that any young man could allow him- 
self to talk to his friends about the secret long- 
ings of his heart — about his love and the girl 
he had chosen for his sweetheart. Such, how- 
ever, was the case with George, and, to judge 
from what I read in books, such seems to be the 
case with many men. I can’t understand it. 
The love of my heart, and the girl I wanted 
for a wife, would always seem too sacred to 
make a subject of conversation with any one. 


PARTNERS THREE 99 

I would rather cut my hand off than tell about 
such feelings. 

Florence condescended to pay us a visit, one 
afternoon, so we had a chance to find out what 
she was really like. She came in the automo- 
bile with her brother and George. The three 
bad been lunching together at Sherry’s res- 
taurant, and then had started out, in the auto- 
mobile, for a long ride in the country, to some 
roadside inn. It was snowing very hard that 
day and bitterly cold. When they had gone 
about half the distance, it seems, a whim had 
suddenly seized Florence that it would be a 
great lark to come down to our place and meet 
the Doctor, and look over the funny household, 
where George spent so much of his time. 

She made her entrance into our rooms, in 
an exaggerated way, panting, and gasping, as 
if exhausted by the long climb up the stairs. 
Without waiting for any introductions, she 
flung herself into an arm-chair, unfastened her 
furs, and sat puffing and blowing in a state of 
pretended collapse. 

“Jumping Jerusalem! Wha>t a climb!” she 
exclaimed between breaths. “ If I had to do 
that often, I’d be a fit candidate for the Down 
and Out Club ! ” 

She leaned back her head, closed her eyes, 
and made a picture of herself, as if to justify 
her statement. 


ioo PARTNERS THREE 

She was a very tall, slender, blond girl, with 
large cat-like eyes, and full red lips. She had 
on a long coat of beautiful sealskin, and her 
muff and collar, Tony told me afterwards, 
were of the finest Russian sable. She had a 
string of pearls about her neck and two large 
pearls in her ears. Her hat was a perfectly 
huge affair, nearly two feet, I should say, in di- 
ameter, and her hair was curled, and crimped, 
and waved, and puffed, in such a marvellous way 
that it appeared to be of almost equal propor- 
tions with her hat. Tony said the curls were 
false and that that was the fashion, nowadays. 
How she knew this, I can’t imagine, but girls 
have a peculiar faculty for discovering things 
of that sort. 

Florence didn’t get up when George intro- 
duced the Doctor to her. She didn’t even offer 
to shake hands with him. She merely gave a 
quick little supercilious nod of her head, and 
sat looking him over with a satisfied air of 
curiosity. 

“ How de do,” she said. “ No — no — you’re 
not a bit like it — not a bit ! ” She continued to 
look him over with great complacency, lower- 
ing her eyelids and giving a little twist of her 
mouth, as if to emphasise the acuteness of her 
perceptions. 

“ Georgie, you know, thinks you’re the real 
thing, and he’s been telling me so, for ever so 


PARTNERS THREE 101 

long — the man from Mars, and all that. I must 
say, I’m disappointed. You don’t look the part 
a bit. Wilton Lackaye or Sothem could give it 
a much better make-up.” 

Then she turned her attention to Tony and 
me, as George brought us forward and intro- 
duced us. 

“ So this is Tony, is it?” she said, eyeing 
Tony suspiciously, then turning to George. 
“ Georgie, you’re a gay deceiver ! You thought 
I wouldn’t find out. Oh, very well! Just wait 
till I get you alone ! ” 

She looked about the room, exchanged 
glances with her brother, then fixed her eyes on 
Tony again. 

“ Mm ! mm ! I don’t wonder. I understand 
now, perfectly, why Georgie spends all his time 
here.” 

I hated that girl and I felt sorry for Tony. 
It was the first time anything had ever occurred 
in our house to bring a blush of shame. The 
poor girl shot an appealing glance at the Doc- 
tor and the colour mounted slowly to her face, 
until it became a burning red. She gave one 
look of scorn at Florence, then turned away. 
Florence and Chauncey started to laugh, and 
George joined in, nervously. I was watching 
the Doctor. He took no share in the merriment. 
If Florence had been a man, I think the Doctor 
would have had something pertinent to say. 


102 PARTNERS THREE 

As it was, he merely held his tongue and allowed 
the episode to pass. 

Chauncey was impatient to hear how his 
“ flyer ” was getting on, and by that time the 
Doctor had finished working out the propor- 
tions for a roller boat thirty-six feet long, which 
would be capable of carrying five persons. He 
had been to see a boat-builder at Morris Heights 
about the cost of construction, and, although 
the exact figures had not yet been submitted, it 
was safe to say such a boat could be turned out, 
all complete, for four thousand dollars. 

Chauncey was more than satisfied with this 
announcement. Then and there he authorised 
the Doctor to go ahead with the work, as speed- 
ily as possible. If any payments were needed 
in advance, the Doctor had only to let him know. 

“ The stock market has been rotten lately — 
perfectly rotten,” he said. “ It’s put a little 
crimp in me, for the time being. If it doesn’t 
hump itself pretty quick, I’m going to be beastly 
short of tin. It’s awful, you know — the way 
I got let in by my fool of a broker. I’ve been 
a sucker all right, but I’m not going to let 
that stand in the way of this boat, for a minute. 
Whenever you need the money, just say so, and 
I’ll ‘touch’ the Governor. He hates to have 
me drag it out of him, but, in the end, he always 
coughs up like a little man.” 

Florence also expressed a lively interest in 


PARTNERS THREE 103 

the new boat. A crazy scheme like that, she 
said, was just the sort of thing that was sure 
to tickle her fancy. She wanted to see the ma- 
hogany model and made flippant remarks about 
it. They were really quite witty and started the 
Doctor a-laughing. The conversation took a 
merry turn and under its influence Florence 
seemed to lose a good part of her supercilious- 
ness. The Doctor, Chauncey and George were 
smoking cigarettes and, all at once, Florence 
asked the Doctor to roll her one of his. She 
lighted it and puffed the smoke out with an ex- 
aggerated air of a connoisseur. His tobacco 
had a “ bully ” flavour, she said, and, as an evi- 
dence of good faith, she asked him to roll her 
a few, when he got time, and send them up to 
the house. After an hour or more, Chauncey 
asked the Doctor if he might have a drink. 

66 Most certainly you may,” said the Doctor. 
“Pardon my neglect. What can I offer you? ” 
Chauncey glanced about the room and seemed 
to hesitate. 

“Anything that’s handy, old chap. I’m not 
a bit particular, you know. So long as it’s wet 
and got alcohol in it, anything suits me.” 

“ A little whiskey, then? ” 

“A Scotch and soda would be just the thing! 

If it isn’t too much trouble, you know ” 

“ Not at all,” said the Doctor. “ Not at all. 
Tony is our housekeeper and she attends to all 


io 4 PARTNERS THREE 

those things. — Tony, will you let us have some 
Scotch and a couple of bottles of soda — and* 
Pie, my boy, you might crack a little ice.” 

“ Not for me!” exclaimed Chauncey, as I 
started toward the kitchen. “ No ice in mine! ” 

“How about you?” said the Doctor, turn- 
ing to George. “ — A little ice, eh? ” 

“ No, thank you,” said George, “ I — I don’t 
care for any.” 

“ Oh very well, then — never mind about the 
ice, Pie, my boy,” said the Doctor. “ — You’re 
quite right not to take ice. I never did, my- 
self.” 

Tony was standing at the kitchen door, look- 
ing at the Doctor, in a puzzled way. I knew 
what the trouble was. There was no Scotch 
whiskey and no soda and there never had been. 
There was nothing but some cooking sherry and 
half a bottle of the brandy which Tony used 
for her mince pies and plum-puddings. The 
Doctor must have known it, too, and I wondered 
how he would meet the emergency. Finally he 
caught her eye. 

“ What’s the matter, Tony? Any of the 
Scotch will do — one of the bottles that’s opened. 
— Wait a minute, though, and I’ll show you.” 

So saying, he excused himself and went with 
Tony into the kitchen. He returned in a mo- 
ment, laughing and apologetic, but as easy 
and undisturbed as an emperor. 


PARTNERS THREE jo* 

u That’s always the way,” he said, “ when 
you don’t attend to things, yourself. There 
isn’t a drop of Scotch left and not a bottle of 
soda in the house ! How will a little old brandy 
do? We’ve some that I can recommend, — or 
perhaps a glass of sherry — or ” 

“ That’s all right,” broke in Chauncey. u I’d 
just as soon have brandy and water — not a 
bit of difference — really!” 

When the brandy and the pitcher of water 
were brought in, the Doctor asked Florence if 
she wouldn’t like a cup of tea. 

“ No, thanks,” said Florence, “ I never drink 
the sloppy stuff. — I tell you what, though, if 
you wouldn’t mind, I’m just dying for a cock- 
tail!” 

The Doctor looked at Florence and was 
slightly nonplussed. Then he glanced over at 
Tony and one eyebrow went up a little. 

“ How about it, Tony? Miss De Witt would 
like a cocktail. Do you suppose you could sup- 
ply us with the necessary ingredients ? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” said Tony, quickly, “ there are 
some left, all made up. I’ll get them.” 

She ran into the kitchen and returned in a 
moment with a small paper box, which she 
handed to the Doctor. No sooner did his eye 
catch sight of it, than he burst forth in a peal 
of laughter. None of the others could know, 
as yet, what he was laughing about, but the 


io6 PARTNERS THREE 

sound was so joyous and unrestrained that there 
was no resisting it. 

“ The very thing,” he cried, as soon as he 
was able to speak. “ Miss De Witt, if you will 
allow me, I will offer you a new kind of cock- 
tail, and I will take one with you. It’s the only 
kind I can recommend — especially for a charm- 
ing young woman like yourself, or for an old 
reprobate like me. It’s an excellent thing, and 
ought to become very popular. I call it the 
6 Comforting Cocktail.’ It’s a little invention 
of my own.” 

He opened the paper box and held it out so 
as to display the contents to Florence and the 
others. It contained a number of little objects 
which looked as if they were made of jelly. 
They were oblong in shape and about the size 
of a hazel-nut. With a teaspoon he took one 
out and placed it in a glass for Florence, and 
another for himself. Then he called for two 
more glasses and gave one to Tony and one 
to me. 

“ This is a merry occasion,” he said. “ We 
must drink to Chauncey’s 6 flyer.’ ” 

He took up the pitcher and poured some 
water over the little globules in each of our 
glasses. 

“ What in the world is it? ” asked Florence. 
“ It looks like castor-oil ! ” 

“ It’s quite as harmless, I assure you,” re- 


PARTNERS THREE 107 

plied the Doctor, “ — and much more palatable. 
Drink it, first, and I’ll explain it, afterwards — 
Swallow it right down ! ” 

He raised his glass, and we all drank. 

“Now,” said the Doctor to Florence, after 
the glasses were put down, “ tell me what you 
feel.” 

“ I don’t think I like it ! ” said Florence, 
making a face. “It gives you a queer sensa- 
tion, as if something were smouldering inside ! ” 

“Exactly!” exclaimed the Doctor. “You 
don’t feel any desire for another cocktail just 
at present, do you? You’re not dying for one, 
now? ” 

“Not for meh! That’ll do me for some 
time ! ” 

“ There you have it ! ” said the Doctor, with 
a gesture of explanation. “ That’s the whole 
thing in a nut-shell. You had a craving for 
stimulant. You took a Comforting Cocktail 
instead, and the craving has entirely disap- 
peared. There are thousands of people like 
that, hundreds of thousands! I was once one, 
myself. That’s how the idea came to me. !A.t 
certain times in the day, people have a craving 
for alcohol. They feel like a cocktail, or a glass 
of whiskey. If they don’t get it, the craving 
persists until it makes them miserable, even des- 
perate. In many cases, for one reason or an- 
other, it’s better for them not to take the alco- 


io8 PARTNERS THREE 

hoi. In the case of a girl like you, for instance, 
I should say, that the habit is unbecoming, if 
nothing more. The whole problem is solved by 
a Comforting Cocktail. Any one can carry a 
little box around with him, or he can stop at 
a drug store, where they will be on sale. One 
little globule allays the craving for stimulant 
entirely. It produces a warm, comforting 
feeling inside, as you have just told me, and, 
as you will notice presently, it induces a normal, 
healthy appetite for food. — Now, if you will 
all honour us by staying to supper, Tony, I 
know, will do what she can to gratify that ap- 
petite.” 

They declined the invitation — both Florence 
and Chauncey had other engagements. This 
must have been a great relief to Tony, for our 
supply of provisions was scanty and it would 
have been embarrassing to prepare a meal for 
such guests. The Doctor, as I have remarked, 
overlooked these petty considerations. 

“ Really,” said Florence, who was continuing 
to note her interior sensations, “ there’s some- 
thing in that stuff, after all! I see what you 
mean, Doctor. It’s buzzing away inside of me, 
to beat the band ! What in the world have those 
little things got in them?” 

“ It’s very simple,” explained the Doctor, 
“ — like nearly all ideas that amount to any- 
thing. These capsules have nothing in them but 


PARTNERS THREE 109 

a little red pepper, and pure petroleum jelly— 
both perfectly harmless and innocent. Red pep- 
per is an excellent thing; it imparts an agree- 
able, comforting warmth to the membranes, and 
stimulates the flow of saliva. It not only cre- 
ates a healthy appetite, but it also aids the 
digestion.” 

44 They’re great ! 99 said Florence. 44 I’m 
stuck on them already! Why don’t you put 
them on sale? J believe they’d go like wild- 
fire ! ” 

44 Some day,” said the Doctor, 44 1 mean to 
organise a company for that purpose. It’s 
one of my ideas, but I have others of more im- 
portance to play with just now. In due time, 
though, when I get around to it, I expect the 
Comforting Cocktail to make quite a stir. — 
Wouldn’t you like to try one, Mr. De Witt? ” 

46 Thanks, old chap,” drawled Chauncey, 
44 not just yet ! With your permission, I’ll take 
a little more of this medicine.” 

He gave a falsetto laugh and poured out 
some more brandy. 

44 What I wish you’d do, Doctor,” he contin- 
ued, with the air of a wag, 44 is to make some 
nice little invention that would fix a feller so 
he could hold as much liquor as he wants, with- 
out getting drunk and making a beastly show 
of himself. That’s more my size, and you could 
have me for the limit.” 


[i io PARTNERS THREE 

He laughed again and took his drink. 

“ That’s not a bad idea at all,” said the 
Doctor, cocking up his eyebrow at Chauncey. 
“It once appealed to me very strongly, and 
I spent a good deal of time experimenting 
with it.” 

“Not really!” exclaimed Chauncey. “I 
say ! That was a daffy idea ! ” 

“Not entirely,” said the Doctor. “I found 
a partial solution, which did me, on the whole, 
very good service.” 

“Not really!” repeated Chauncey. 

“At the time I’m speaking of, I was living in 
St. Petersburg. I associated with a set of men 
who were all pretty heavy drinkers. Well, at 
the dinners which I attended frequently, I found 
that nearly all the men were too much for me. 
I was always one of the first to go down. To 
get the better of this humiliation, I began ex- 
periments and hit upon a discovery. It was 
very simple — just olive oil — pure olive oil. Take 
half a wine glass of it, before you begin your 
dinner, and you can drink twice as much as the 
other fellow with about half the effect.” 

“ Oh, come now ! ” said Chauncey. “ Do you 
mean that? ” . 

“ Try it and see,” said the Doctor. “ It’s 
another little idea of mine that might prove 
popular. Suppose a company were organised 
to put up olive oil in the form of capsules — with 


PARTNERS THREE in 


some mild, agreeable flavour. Find a taking 
name for them — say ‘ Revelers’ Relief 5 — put a 
dozen capsules in a box, charge fifty cents for 
them, and place them on sale at every bar-room 
and drug-store in the country.” 

“ It’s a corking idea ! ” cried Chauncey. 
“ There’s a fortune in it ! If you want to get 
up a company, you can count me in ! ” 

“ Comforting Cocktails and Revelers’ Re- 
lief ! ” laughed Florence. “ Why not have one 
company to manufacture them both ! ” 

“ That’s great ! ” chimed in Chauncey. “ One 
of them, to keep people from drinking — highly 
indorsed by the Woman’s Christian Temperance 
Union — and the other, to make people drink 
twice as much as they ought — recommended and 
indorsed by the Liquor Dealers’ Association ! ” 
We all started laughing again. 

“ Doctor, you’re a first-class humbug ! ” said 
Florence, as she got up to go. “ One minute, 
you cure the drink habit and the next you en- 
courage people to drink more than ever! Fie, 
fie!” 

“ My dear young lady,” said the Doctor, his 
eyes still dancing with merriment, “ I never 
posed as a moralist. Let people do as they 
like, is my motto. Let them get as much fun 
out of this old world as they can. I get most 
of my fun in playing with ideas. Good or bad, 
the world is welcome to them.” 


1 12 PARTNERS THREE 


“ You’re a wizard!” said Florence, “ 1 take 
back all I said. I’m not a bit disappointed in 
you. I’m glad I came ! ” 

She held out her hand to him and smiled with 
approbation. 


CHAPTER XI 


O UR acquaintance with Chauncey De 
Witt did not prove to be very long- 
lived, and it ended less agreeably 
than it began. He came to our 
rooms only twice more after the occasion I 
have just described, and Florence we never 
saw again. While I am on the subject, I will 
follow it through to the finish, and there let 
it rest. 

Before long, the boat-builder at Morris 
Heights had finished his detailed estimate on the 
model boat. The total came to forty-two hun- 
dred dollars. He saw no sense at all in the idea 
and assured the Doctor, in a friendly way, that 
it would be a waste of time and money to fool 
with it. If called upon to undertake the job, 
he stipulated that he must have a thousand dol- 
lars in advance for materials, and further ad- 
vances as the work progressed — enough to 
cover the outlay. 

This information was laid before George, 
who immediately conveyed it to Chauncey. Sev- 
eral days elapsed before he appeared on the 
scene, and then, instead of bringing the money, 
he came with an odd jumble of explanations 
and apologies. 

113 


,ii 4 PARTNERS THREE 

“ It’s perfectly rotten,” he said to the Doctor, 
“ the way things have gone since I saw you last ! 
I made an awful ass of myself last week — I 
don’t deny it — but, after all, everybody does 
that once in a while, so what’s the use? It 
seems, when a fellow’s down, everybody wants 
to jump on him. I’m sick of the Governor — 
I’m sore on everybody. I’ve been so disgusted 
for the past week that I came within an ace of 
chucking the whole outfit. It’d serve ’em right 
if I went out West and became a blooming cow 
puncher, or a car conductor, or any old thing! 
I’m sorry, old chap, to have to say these things 
to you, but it’s the way I’ve been feeling, and 
I don’t care a whoop who knows.” 

“ What’s been the trouble? ” asked the Doc- 
tor, with a quiet smile. 

66 The fact of the matter is, old chap, you’re 
half responsible, yourself, for all the silly 
rumpus. It was that olive oil game of yours 
— the Revelers’ Relief — that started the ball 
rolling ! ” 

“ You gave it a try, did you? ” queried the 
Doctor. 

Chauncey’s dejected expression relaxed. He 
eyed the Doctor with a confidential air of amuse- 
ment, and uttered a few chuckles in his falsetto 
voice. 

“You bet I did! I’m not saying anything 
against it — it may be all to the good, as far 


PARTNERS THREE n$ 

as it goes, but I got so cocky about it, that I 
overplayed it! — You see, I had a dinner on, 
that evening — a regular society dinner — Flor- 
ence’s crowd — with Bridge afterwards. Just 
for a lark I gave myself a dose of your olive 
oil before we left the house. It worked like a 
charm. I hit up the champagne all through 
dinner and guzzled three or four Scotches and 
sodas, afterwards, at the Bridge tables. It 
didn’t phase me a bit. I went home with Flor- 
ence, as straight as a string, and was throwing 
bouquets at you, all the way ! ” 

44 That’s very interesting,” smiled the Doc- 
tor. 44 I’m delighted to hear it. You found 
there was really some value in my discovery?” 

44 1 was daffy about it. I was on to play it 
the limit, every turn of the wheel. — Well, next 
morning — Sunday, that was — I had a date to 
take Phil Mortimer for a run in my new car, 
and lunch with a crowd of sports at Wood- 
mansten Inn. We stopped two or three times 
for cocktails on the road. I put Phil wise to 
the olive oil game, and told him to watch me 
hit up the pace at lunch. I was chesty as they 
come.” 

44 1 see,” said the Doctor, anticipating the 
sequel and nodding his head sympathetically, 
44 over-enthusiasm for a new idea. We’vq all 
had such experiences. Perfectly natural.” 

44 1 made a silly ass of myself,” admitted 


n6 PARTNERS THREE 

Chauncey. “ That’s the long and short, of it. 
Where I went in the car, that afternoon, and 
how I managed to do it, is more than I can 
swear to — pretty much all over the place, I 
fancy. Phil Mortimer got lost, somewhere, in 
the shuffle. I can’t remember that, either. All I 
know is that they didn’t find him with me at the 
finish. I stayed by the car until late that 
night, and the car stayed by me. It beats me 
how we managed it. Anyhow, we ended up at 
a lamp-post in the middle of New Rochelle. 
I came out of it better than the car did. It 
cost the car one hundred and eighty dollars in 
repairs. I got off with this clip on my head, 
and a twenty-dollar fine.” 

He referred to a spot on his forehead, which 
was still covered with a small piece of sticking 
plaster. 

“ I’m sorry to hear it,” said the Doctor. 
“ Still, under the circumstances, it might have 
been worse. On the whole, I should say, you 
are entitled to congratulations.” 

“ I’m not kicking about that. The beastly 
part of it is, some old idiot had to go and send 
word to my family. The Governor came up, 
next morning, and found me behind bars — a 
jail-bird, and all that sort of silly rot. When 
they got me home, the Mater wept all over the 
place. It’s been rotten ever since — perfectly 
rotten! It’s enough to give a fellow the pip, 


PARTNERS THREE 117 

the way they look at me and speak to me, 
whenever I show my face. I’m on the water 
wagon — hitched tight to the hydrant, and I’ve 
got to stay there for a year, or the Governor’ll 
cut me off and play all sorts of hell with me. 
I’m not exaggerating a bit. I’m up against it, 
good and hard.” 

That was not the sum of Chauncey’s trou- 
bles. The stock market had gone from bad to 
worse, and his brokers had kept calling on him 
for more margins. After he had put up every 
penny he had, he didn’t know which way to 
turn. There was no “ monkeying” with brokers, 
you had to hand them the cash when they de- 
manded it, or they’d sell you out without mercy. 
He didn’t dare tell his father about his stock- 
market speculations, — that would have caused 
the biggest kind of a howl and ended every- 
thing. The only way was to borrow from his 
friends. But the way his friends behaved — most 
of them — was “ perfectly rotten ” ; he wouldn’t 
have believed it of them. However, in the end, 
he had managed to get an old friend of his 
family’s — a perfect skinflint — to advance him 
the necessary money. Even then, he had to 
sign ridiculous notes, and make all sorts of 
promises. He had been too much upset to think 
about his new boat. He hoped the Doctor would 
understand. 

“ My dear boy,” said the Doctor, “ not the 


1 1 8 PARTNERS THREE 


slightest apology is necessary. The 6 flyer ’ was 
to be yours, not mine. You needn’t give it 
another thought.” 

“ Not at all!” exclaimed Chauncey, with an 
air of wounded dignity. “ I’m no quitter. Other 
people can be as rotten cads as they like, and 
I’ve had a chance to find out that most of them 
are. I said you could count on me for the 
tin. I don’t care what anybody says, I’d see 
it through now, even if I was convinced the 
whole thing was nothing but punk ! ” 

“Ah?” said the Doctor, raising his brows, 
“ you mean you’ve lost confidence in the idea ? ” 

“I’ll tell you, old chap,” said Chauncey, 
wilting a little under the Doctor’s look, and 
taking on a half guilty air. “ I had a little talk 
with the Governor about it, when George 
brought me your figures and plans. I thought 
it might interest him. There was nothing dis- 
graceful about it, anyhow, like that jail-bird 
business, or gambling in stocks. I thought he 
might do a little grumbling and then let me 
have what I wanted. That’s his way, you know, 
in most things.” 

“ Well,” said the Doctor, “ that’s interesting. 
— I’d like to hear what he had to say.” 

“ I’m afraid you wouldn’t,” said Chauncey. 
“ He didn’t say much at first. He let me ex- 
plain the whole thing to him and he took the 
plans to study over. Then do you know what 


PARTNERS THREE 119 

he did ? He went up, on his own hook, to Mor- 
ris Heights and had a talk with your boat- 
builder.” 

This was too much for the Doctor. He knew 
the boat-builder’s attitude, and could picture, 
in a flash, the humour of his interview with Mr. 
De Witt. He simply exploded with laughter. 

“ Pardon me,” he said at length, “ I didn’t 
mean to interrupt you. Let me hear it all.” 

Chauncey had been expecting, no doubt, to 
cause the Doctor pain with his discouraging 
news. He meant to soften the blow, by beating 
about the bush and reaffirming his own loyalty. 
But here was the Doctor treating the thing as 
a joke! That altered the case. There was no 
further need for discretion. 

“ That boat-builder says your boat is a dippy 
pipe dream! Any fool could see it wouldn’t 
work ! He says he told the same thing to you, 
without any frills, and gave you his reasons. 
The Governor thinks the same way.” 

“Go on,” said the Doctor, restraining with 
effort another explosion of merriment. 

“ Well, the Governor said he’d send for a 
keeper before he’d give me a nickel to play the 
sucker with. But he told me to tell you, that 
if you’re on the level, you can go ahead and 
build the boat yourself. Show it to him, when 
it’s finished, and let him see it go twenty miles 
an hour — one-half what you claim for it — and 


120 PARTNERS THREE 


he’ll buy it from you, on the spot, for fifty 
thousand dollars.” 

66 That’s a very generous offer,” said the 
Doctor. “ I might take advantage of it.” 

“ Well, you asked me to tell you what he said, 
and I’ve told you,” retorted Chauncey, with a 
slightly pugnacious air. 

“ Is that all? ” asked the Doctor. 

“ Oh, he poured out a lot of hot air on me, 
for my own benefit. He said I must be getting 
bug-house and I’d get there pretty quick, if I 
took your dope in earnest. He talked rot for 
half an hour, but that’s about all it amounted 
to.” 

f After the explanations were over and Chaun- 
cey had finished the recital of his hardships, he 
arrived at length to a statement of his actual 
intentions. He insisted that the boat should be 
built, but he would have to ask for a temporary 
delay — a mere matter of a few days, or a few 
weeks. The stock market was sure to right it- 
self before long, and then he’d have money to 
burn. He was so profuse in his assurances and 
protestations, that the Doctor did not attempt 
to gainsay him. He fell in with Chauncey’s 
ideas most graciously and appeared to have no 
misgivings concerning the outcome. 

This was the first of Chauncey’s two visits, 
to which I referred at the opening of the chap- 
ter. The other was much less amusing, and 


PARTNERS THREE 121 


ended without any protestations of good feel- 
ing. It occurred one afternoon, about a week 
later. 

That day, the Doctor was going to see 
a Russian nihilist who had just arrived in 
New York, after a number of exciting ex- 
ploits. He was an old acquaintance of the Doc- 
tor’s who had been seized and sent to Siberia, at 
the time the Doctor was on one of his visits to 
St. Petersburg. He was a very interesting man, 
the Doctor said, of the highest culture, and full 
of original ideas on many subjects. He of- 
fered to take me with him and, of course, I was 
delighted at the prospect. 

We started out about two o’clock, and spent 
nearly the whole afternoon tramping about 
from one place to another, in a strange laby- 
rinth of streets, over on the east side of the city. 
We entered a number of queer-looking houses 
and received directions from various queer- 
looking men, who spoke to the Doctor in Rus- 
sian. Several times we seemed on the point of 
getting to Ivan Blokovitch — the Doctor’s 
friend. In the end, however, we discovered that 
he was no longer in New York, but had left, 
that morning, for Chicago. Daylight was al- 
ready waning when we reached home again, and 
began climbing the narrow flights of stairs that 
led to our rooms. 

As soon as we reached our landing, and the 


122 PARTNERS THREE 

Doctor turned his key in the outer door, we 
heard confused noises, which left no doubt that 
something ugly was happening in our rooms. 
The Doctor hurried in, and I rushed after him. 
As I did so, I heard Tony’s voice uttering a 
low, stifled call. I shall never forget that mo- 
ment. For pure fright, nothing in my life has 
ever equalled it. When we got to the dimly 
lighted sitting-room, all I could see was Tony 
in a close struggle with a man. She was utter- 
ing little cries of terror and appeal. 

The Doctor had entered before me, and while 
I was still in the doorway I saw him rush for- 
ward, with a fierce cry. In an instant, he 
seized the man by the collar and, with a mighty 
wrench, tore him off and hurled him reeling to 
the floor. For a moment, the Doctor stood 
above him, towering, glaring, wild with rage. 
Then, as the man sprawled up slowly and 
righted himself, I recognised Chauncey. 

The Doctor, meanwhile, had turned to Tony 
and was moving toward her, now, with a look 
of tender anxiety. 

“ Tony ? ” 

The poor girl gave way completely. With- 
out uttering a word, she threw herself into his 
arms and burst out sobbing hysterically. 

He stroked her head a minute and tried to 
comfort her, repeating her name over and over 


PARTNERS THREE 123 

again. Suddenly, he stiffened himself and 
turned to Chauncey. 

I knew that look. There was the same ter- 
rible agitation in it that I had seen once before, 
when the man was beating the boy. He spoke 
in the same low, quivering voice. 

“ Get out ! ” he said. 

Chauncey had his hand to his face, and looked 
about him, in a hang-dog, crestfallen way. 
Then he started as if to say something. 

“ Get out ! ” repeated the Doctor, in that 
awful voice. 

Nothing more was said. There was some- 
thing about the Doctor which unmistakably 
gave warning of danger. At the slightest prov- 
ocation, he seemed ready to spring and strike 
and kill. Chauncey looked at him, in a fright- 
ened way, glanced about for his hat and coat, 
found them, picked them up, and walked out 
the door. 

Tony continued to sob, and the Doctor be- 
gan stroking her head again. 

“ Tony, Tony, Tony — it’s all right, Tony. 
It’s all right. He’s gone ” 

That was the last we ever saw of Chauncey. 


CHAPTER XII 


1 HAVE told how Mrs. Jowls found ways 
of keeping herself informed about nearly 
everything that took place under her 
roof. I suspect she knew quite as much 
as we did about Chauncey and Florence and 
George and the plans for the new model boat. 
She also knew something of the unpaid bills 
that came from our neighbourhood and were 
frequently brought to our rooms by her hand. 
I dare say, some of the tradespeople had made 
inquiries of her, as to the Doctor’s standing. 

When Chauncey left our rooms for the last 
time, after his unspeakable conduct with An- 
toinette, that meant the end, for the time being, 
of the one thing on which our immediate hopes 
depended. The Doctor did not make the slight- 
est reference to this — he seemed unwilling to 
betray, by any sign, the disappointment which 
he must have felt. His only comment, in regard 
to Chauncey, was that we were lucky to be rid 
of him. 

66 Such poor excuses for humanity are not 
worth our anger or resentment,” he said. 
“ Let’s laugh it away, and think of him only 
as a joke. After all, it was a joke — a joke on 
124 


PARTNERS THREE 125 

Joyce, Bonnet & Pie, to imagine they could 
have anything in common with that sort of 
person.” 

When George heard what had happened, he 
was terribly upset. He applied all sorts of 
withering epithets to Chauncey — said he would 
tell him what he thought of him — threatened to 
give him the sound thrashing he deserved, and 
swore he would bring Chauncey back on his 
knees to apologise. He felt he was to blame 
for bringing such a cad to our rooms, in the 
first place, and vowed he was through with him 
and his kind, for good and all. 

After he had had his say, in the presence of 
the Doctor, he attempted to express to Tony 
his sympathy and contrition, but she shut him 
off with a laugh. She refused to discuss what 
Chauncey had said or done, and she allowed 
George to understand, very neatly, that he 
needn’t consider himself at all concerned in the 
episode. 

One morning, after Tony and I had had our 
early breakfast in the kitchen, she handed me a 
little package done up in tissue paper and 
asked me to take it for her to the Woman’s Ex- 
change, up on Forty-third Street. It contained 
some pieces of embroidery which she had made 
in secret and which were to be placed on sale 
there. Also, I was to ask if there was any 


126 PARTNERS THREE 


money coming to her from the sale of some 
things she had left there previously. She cau- 
tioned me not to say anything before the Doc- 
tor that could give him a suspicion of what she 
was doing. 

I did my errand and brought back with me a 
dollar and sixty cents for Tony. When I reached 
home, the Doctor had finished his breakfast and 
Mrs. Jowls was in the sitting-room, comfortably 
settled, apparently, for one of her cherished 
conversations with him. I went to look for 
Tony in the kitchen, but she had gone out. So, 
without making any disturbance, I crossed over 
to the alcove and took up the book I was 
studying. 

Mrs. Jowls was talking to the Doctor about 
her grocery business and there was something 
in her tone and manner to suggest, at once, that 
she had more in mind than the usual rambling 
chatter. 

Things hadn’t been going as well as they 
should with her of late, she said. One of her 
principal troubles was in the matter of collec- 
tions. People did not seem to settle their bills 
the way they used to. It was a small matter to 
them, no doubt, but taken all together, it was 
very serious to her. Sometimes she did not know 
which way to turn. She did not wish to be per- 
sonal — she apologised for mentioning it — she 
realised how different he was from ordinary peo- 


PARTNERS THREE 127 

pie — but the truth of the matter was that the 
first of May was near at hand, and that meant 
big payments for her lease, and other things. 
She didn’t wish to inconvenience the Doctor in 
the slightest — she wouldn’t say a word about 
his rent, which was in arrears for some months, 
or his account with her at the store, which had 
grown to considerable proportions. She could 
arrange to let these items run along, if it would 
be more agreeable to him. It was another mat- 
ter she had in mind, just now — it seemed like an 
opportunity — and she would like to put it be- 
fore him, in the way of a suggestion. 

“ Have no hesitation about it, Madam,” said 
the Doctor, with undisturbed cheeriness. “ Speak 
out freely what’s on your mind. As I said be- 
fore, if there is any way in which I can be of 
assistance to you, I shall be only too happy.” 

“ Thank you ! ” exclaimed the landlady, with 
a gush of feeling. “No gentleman could say 
more! — Well, then, what I was coming to was 
this: I’ve had a very fine offer — from a most 
desirable party — a nice young couple, who wish 
to come into this house. They’re ready to take 
a flat by the year, and pay me six months in 
advance.” 

“ That sounds most attractive,” said the 
Doctor. 

“ You see what it means to me, coming just 
at this time. — Well now, Doctor, I’ve been think- 


128 PARTNERS THREE 

ing it over, and if you were willing, we might 
make a little arrangement that would be most 
satisfactory all round. I’ve my own flat, you 
know, on the first floor. It’s the same size as 
this and, if I must say it, a good deal better fur- 
nished and more attractive in every way. You’ve 
seen it yourself.” 

44 It’s charmingly furnished,” assented the 
Doctor. 44 But that’s only natural, Mrs. J owls, 
for a woman of such excellent taste.” 

44 Thank you, Doctor ! Then what I want to 
know is this : How would you like to move down 
to the first floor? You could have exactly the 
same room, and the same liberty, and all your, 
books and belongings arranged exactly as you 
like. The only difference is that you’d have 
your meals with me, and I can promise you, in 
that respect, you’ll fare as well as you do now, 
or a good deal better, even if I do say so 
myself.” 

44 I’m not quite sure that I understand you,” 
said the Doctor. 44 Do you mean you would 
like to have me give up this flat ? ” 

44 That’s not exactly the way I look at it ! ” 
gushed Mrs. Jowls. 44 It’s only part of the ad- 
vantage I hope would come from the change, on 
both sides ! — You see, there’s not another floor 
vacant in the house, just now. All my tenants 
stay right on. That speaks pretty well for the 
way I look after them, doesn’t it? — even if I 


PARTNERS THREE 129 

do say so myself! I could give the young 
couple this floor — they’d move right in and pay 
me in advance ; that would be so much gained on 
that side. But that isn’t all of it, Doctor, and 
I hope you won’t mind if I say I’m thinking 
just as much of the pleasure it’ll be to me to 
have the chance of seeing a little more of you 
than I do now and enjoying the benefits of your 
conversation and society.” 

“ You flatter me, Madam,” said the Doctor, 
with an air of such perfect politeness that the 
silly woman could not possibly suspect hidden 
irony. 

“ We’ve seen enough of each other, by this 
time,” beamed Mrs. Jowls, “ to give you some 
idea of my regard for you. We don’t have to 
pretend we’re strangers ! — Now if this little ar- 
rangement will suit you, I won’t say a word 
about terms. You can name them yourself, and 
we’ll just let things run on until you find it per- 
fectly convenient. It will hardly cost me a 
penny extra anyhow, having you there, and 
you won’t be a bit of a bother — on the contrary ! 
Nobody lives with me but my little niece, Clara. 
She goes to school every morning, before you 
get up, and she’s off to bed right after supper. 
She’s a good little child, besides, as quiet as a 
mouse. You’ll have things just as much to 
yourself as you do here, and a great deal more 
comfortable — even if I do say so myself ! ” 


x 3 0 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Might X ask, Mrs. Jowls, what would 
become of Tony and Pie in your arrange- 
ments? ” asked the Doctor, in a tone of simple 
inquiry. 

“ I was coming to that,” said Mrs. Jowls. 
“ I hope you won’t think me meddlesome, if I 
speak out frankly what’s on my mind? ” 

“ By all means, Madam ! I’m waiting to 
hear.” 

“Well, then, Doctor, it comes down to this, 
doesn’t it? If you have your room and meals 
with me, you won’t have any further need for a 
servant of your own, will you? I’m not saying 
a word against your girl, here — I dare say she’s 
a very good sort, but I’ve watched her at her 
work, in the kitchen, and you can take my word 
for it, she doesn’t hold a candle to my girl, 
Jane.” 

“ Indeed ! ” said the Doctor, and I could tell 
from his voice that it was costing him an effort 
to restrain himself. 

“ Jane’s a first-rate cook and as neat and tidy 
as they come. You’ll see for yourself! — How- 
ever, what I was going to say was this : If you 
don’t feel like sending your girl away, I can 
arrange to look after her, myself, for a time, 
and find work for her. Jane sleeps up on the 
top floor. She’s got a very nice room — plenty 
large enough for two. I can just as well put 
Tony in with her. Jane wouldn’t mind.” 


PARTNERS THREE 131 

“And what about Pie?” said the Doctor. 
“ What have you planned to do with him? ” 

He couldn’t be serious. Tony in the garret 
with Jane! He was roaring with laughter, in- 
side. I knew him well enough for that. 

“ Well, if I may be so bold as to say so,” Mrs. 
Jowls lowered her voice and spoke sneeringly, 
“ it’s high time he was doing a little something 
to earn his own salt. He ought to be ashamed 
of himself, idling around and growing fat on 
your kindness and generosity.” 

“Mrs. Jowls!” 

“ I know what he is, and all about him ! 
Where did you find him? In a reformatory! 
They’re all alike, and sooner or later they all 
turn out the same way. You’ll see for yourself ! 
I’m not saying it isn’t very noble and fine of 
you to treat him the way you have. It’s just 
like you, Doctor! I won’t say anything more 
about it. I know you’re attached to the boy.” 

“ I am, Madam — very deeply.” 

“ Very well, then,” said Mrs. Jowls, “ all I’ve 
got to say is that it’ll be the best thing in the 
world for him to be set to work. I’m willing to 
give him a start in the grocery business and do 
all I can to help him — for your sake. I’ll find a 
place for him to sleep. If he’s got the makings 
of a man in him, he’ll have a chance to show 
it.” 

“ Mrs. Jowls,” said the Doctor, “ I’m afraid 


132 PARTNERS THREE 

I shall have to disappoint you and disagree with 
you. I don’t think Pie is sure to turn out badly. 
On the contrary, I’ve a notion that he will turn 
out surprisingly well. I appreciate the kind- 
ness of your offer concerning him, but I don’t 
think he’d care to learn the grocery business. 
He’s already had some experience in that line 
and didn’t find it altogether to his taste.” 

“ Oh, very well,” said Mrs. Jowls. “ Cer- 
tainly — just as you like ! I only mentioned it as 

a suggestion, in case ■” 

“ As far as Tony is concerned, I know you 
meant only kindness, so it’s enough for me to 
say that your arrangements would hardly be 
satisfactory.” 

“ In what way,” put in the landlady, “ if I 

might be so bold as to ask ? ” 

“Well, the fact is, Mrs. Jowls,” vouchsafed 
the Doctor, still with the utmost politeness, “ I 
don’t exactly regard Tony as a servant.” 

“ Indeed? ” said Mrs. Jowls. “ Then I’d like 
to know what you call her ? ” 

“ Certainly. She’s my ward, my friend, my 
associate, and in many fundamental respects, of 
character and disposition, I may say I call her 
distinctly my superior.” 

“ She cooks and washes and makes the 
beds ” 

“ I’ve always regarded those simple house- 
hold duties as natural and eminently proper for 


PARTNERS THREE 133 

any woman, no matter how exalted her condition 
may be. A girl who is healthy in mind and body 
accepts them willingly, as part of her education. 
Whatever Tony does for me, she does freely and 
gladly, as from one equal to another, and if 
circumstances demanded it, Mrs. Jowls, I can 
assure you that I’d be ready to do the same for 
her.” 

“ I hope you won’t blame me,” said Mrs. 
Jowls, a little crestfallen and very much on her 
dignity. “ 1 only knew she was no relation to 
you, a peasant girl, who’d never even had any 
schooling. She told me so, herself. Seeing her 
in the kitchen, the way I have, it’s no more than 
natural that I should treat her as a servant, the 
same as my girl, Jane, or anybody else’s. It 
never occurred to me that you thought of her 
that way — I mean, as anything special.” 

“ I have only the highest thoughts concerning 
her.” 

“ Very well, then, — if I may say so — for her 
sake, as much as yours, don’t you think it might 
be just as well — more respectable, I mean, for 
her reputation — you know how people are — not 
to be living in the same rooms with a single man, 
who’s no relation to her — and spending all her 
time with him, with no other woman around ? ” 

“ Mrs. Jowls,” replied the Doctor, with sup- 
pressed energy, “ I should feel very sorry for 
any one who sees and knows Tony and yet could 


i 3 4 PARTNERS THREE 

be low-minded enough to have any doubts con- 
cerning her respectability.” 

“ Oh, very well, certainly — I only meant — of 

course, 7 understand ! ” 

“ You’re a very excellent and charming 
woman, Mrs. Jowls. I hope, when the time 
comes, you won’t find me ungrateful for all you 
have done for us since we’ve been here. The day 
is close at hand, I believe, when several of my 
inventions will bear plenteous fruit, and you 
shall see that your attentions have not been for- 
gotten, in the day of prosperity. I have already 
thought a little about that, and of the manner 
in which I should like to compensate you. I 
will say no more about it at present. It is more 
seemly for me to wait until the facts can speak 
for themselves.” 

“ I hope you haven’t misunderstood me, Doc- 
tor,” said Mrs. Jowls, with a return of her gush- 
ing manner. “ Nothing could be further from 
my thoughts than a wish to inconvenience you, 
or offend you in any way. You know me well 
enough for that ! I’m only too proud and happy 
to have a genius like you under my roof ! ” 

“ You flatter me, Mrs. Jowls! — Am I to un- 
derstand, then, that you don’t insist upon my 
giving up these rooms? ” 

“ Not at all, Doctor ! The idea ! I only made 
the suggestion — for your benefit, as much as my 
own, you understand! — If you don’t feel the 


PARTNERS THREE 135 

arrangements I had in mind would be satisfac- 
tory, on account of Tony and the boy ” 

“ I’m afraid, under the circumstances, I 
couldn’t see my way ” 

“ Very well, then, for the present, we’ll say no 
more about it. Things can go on just as they 
are.” 

“ Thank you, Mrs. Jowls. That’s very good 
of you.” 

“ I’m sorry I’ve had to mention my own 
troubles, but you see how it is. If I said a word 
about your rent, or your little account at the 
store ” 

“ Not at all, Madam. I’m very glad you did 
speak of them. I must apologise for overlook- 
ing such matters, and I can assure you that they 
shall have my immediate attention.” 

“ I have the account here ; I thought you 
might like to look it over. — You see how little 
things add up ” 

“ Yes indeed,” said the Doctor, looking at 
the paper which she handed! him. “ 6 Little 
drops of water, little grains of sand ’ ” 

The bill, as I learned afterwards, was for 

$ 309 . 00 . 

“ I wouldn’t have you inconvenience yourself, 
Doctor,” pursued Mrs. Jowls. “ I know how 
it is with inventions. No matter how great and 
wonderful they are, it’s all outgo and no in- 
come, until they’re finished and established as 


i 3 6 PARTNERS THREE 

articles of commerce. I thought, if you hap- 
pened to be a little short just now, you might 
manage to let me have something on account — 
say a half, perhaps ? ” 

“ No, no,” said the Doctor, “bills are bills! 
Sometimes they are annoyances, it’s true, but 
there’s only one way to get rid of them. It’s 
too bad you didn’t think to remind me of this 
sooner — a week ago, or even yesterday. I’ve 
had some rather heavy expenditures to make, 
but, of course, this would have come first. How- 
ever, now I understand the situation, and at the 

first opportunity ” 

“Thank you, Doctor! I never would have 
mentioned it, only the first of May is coming 
around. — Now I must run! — I hope I haven’t 
offended you! ” 

“ Not at all, Madam, not at all ! ” 

She bustled out, just as Tony came in. I sus- 
pect Mrs. Jowls’s alert ears had detected the 
sound of her footsteps on the stairs. 


CHAPTER XIII 


T HAT same day, as soon as the Doc- 
tor went out, I told Tony all Mrs. 
Jowls had said. Under other cir- 
cumstances, we might have re- 
garded it as merely another futile manoeuvre 
on her part to get the Doctor completely to 
herself. We both knew her well enough to un- 
derstand her objects and her oblique ways of 
arriving at them. But there was so much else 
to think about in her statements — so much of 
concern to us both — that we couldn’t help being 
worried and afraid. 

There was nothing I couldn’t say to Tony. 
From the very first, she had seemed able to 
understand anything and everything that was 
on my mind. We had always been absolutely 
frank with each other, and I had a feeling inside 
of me that if I were ever in trouble, Tony’s ad- 
vice and sympathy would be the first and best 
in the world. It seemed that now was the time 
when I really had need of them. It didn’t occur 
to me that her position was at all similar to 
mine. For the time being, I was thinking only 
of myself and my own obligations, and when I 
had finished telling her all that Mrs. Jowls had 
said, I broke out impulsively. 

i37 


138 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Tony,” I cried, “ I didn’t realise, before, 
what I’ve been doing ! Why didn’t you help me 
to understand? You ought to have done it, 
Tony ! ” 

“ Done what, Pie? What do you mean? ” 

“It’s perfectly true, Tony — nearly every- 
thing Mrs. Jowls said about me. You know 
it’s all true.” 

“What’s true?” 

“ I was in the House of Refuge. Nearly all 
those boys are worthless and good-for-nothing. 
Nobody wants them. I know they nearly all 
turn out badly — just as Mrs. Jowls said. No- 
body else would ever dream of taking a boy out 
of jail and treating him the way the Doctor has 
me. Just think of what he’s done for me! — 
and what you’ve done, too, Tony!” 

“ Nonsense, Pie! ” 

“I’ll never forget it — never, as long as I 
live ! But that only makes me feel all the worse ! 
What have I done for the Doctor, to begin to 
repay him? What have I done, even, to earn 
my board? Mrs. Jowls said I’ve grown fat on 
his kindness and generosity. You can’t deny it, 
Tony ; that’s just what I’ve done ! I’ve lived on 
the Doctor, now, for two years — I’m nearly 
nineteen, and I haven’t done a stroke of real 
work in all that time, or earned a cent for him ! 
What hasn’t he done for me? He’s spent hours, 
weeks, months of his time — all for my benefit! 


PARTNERS THREE 139. 

He’s taught me everything I know; he’s given 
me clothes and books, and fine things to eat — 
he’s made me a friend and companion, a partner, 
even! No other man ever gave half as much 
happiness to his own son. I’m not his son, 
Tony. I’ve no right to any of it. I’m nothing 
but a work-house boy ! — And here’s the Doctor 
now, in trouble, without any money to pay his 
bills — a good deal of it’s been spent on me — 
and I’ve never done anything to help him — not 
a thing! Mrs. Jowls is right, Tony! There’s 
no use trying to deny it — that’s just what 
lam!” 

66 Pie! Pie!” said Tony, and she took my 
hand. 

“ I can’t help it, Tony ! I can’t help it ! If 
you knew how mean I feel. . . .” 

I couldn’t get any further just then. I made 
a show of myself and began blubbering like a 
child. 

Tony did the best she could to comfort me, 
but, poor girl, I soon saw she was almost as 
much troubled as I. She said it was nonsense 
for me to talk about what I had done, or hadn’t 
done, or anything of the sort. I was still only 
a boy, and ever since I had been with them, I’d 
tried to do everything just the way the Doctor 
wished me to. He was very fond of me; he be- 
lieved in me, and it had given him only pleasure 
to do what he had. There wasn’t the slightest 


140 PARTNERS THREE 

reason why I should think of finding fault with 
myself or imagining I was called upon to do 
differently. 

She was sweet and true and lovely. Nobody 
else in the world could have found the words 
she did, in just the right way. 

44 I’ve just as much cause to worry as you 
have, Pie,” she went on. 44 It’s just the same 
for both of us. Think what he’s done for me, 
for all these years! What would have become 
of me without him? I owe a great deal more to 
him than you do — we needn’t talk about that.” 

In a way, it was true. I hadn’t thought about 
that. Only she was a girl. 

44 What’s going to happen to him, now? ” she 
went on. 44 That’s what frightens me. Things 
were never as bad as this, before! His money 
is all gone, Pie, — and there doesn’t seem to be 
anybody who will help him. It’s dreadful — 
perfectly dreadful — isn’t it? — with all the rich 
people in the world, who ‘are not fit to tie his 
shoe strings ! 

44 I’ve got to do something, Tony ! You must 
help me find a way ! 'You must ! ” 

44 Just suppose Mrs. Jowls were to turn him 
out of here, — where could he go, now? What 
would become of us? . . .” 

We talked it over and over, with lowered 
voices, — drawn closer together than we had ever 
been before by this mutual fear. 


PARTNERS THREE 141 

Try as we would, we were unable, for the time 
being, to think out any plan. We wanted to do 
something — we were ready for anything. I 
would gladly have started to work in a grocery 
store, that very minute. But that didn’t seem 
enough. For some time, Tony had been sitting 
up nights, in her room, making embroideries 
for the Woman’s Exchange. Her earnings for 
a week had amounted to a dollar and sixty 
cents! Such help as that was only mockery! 
— Yet we tortured our brains in vain to find a 
better way. 

We agreed that it would never do to let the 
Doctor suspect our trouble, until some plan 
was made. He would only laugh at us — that 
much was certain. Besides, we had a feeling 
that it might seem like disloyalty and presump- 
tion to suggest he could be in need of our help. 

I have had occasion, before now, to refer to 
Mrs. Jowls’s persistency. Any one would think 
that she had gone far enough, for the time be- 
ing. Such was not the case. She had her mind 
set on her object, and if she was unable to at- 
tain it at the first attempt, that only incited her 
to try again, in another way. This time, her 
attack was directed against Tony. In thinking 
over what the Doctor had said, she probably 
made up her mind that if Tony could be gotten 
out of the way, the main obstacle would be re^ 


i 4 2 PARTNERS THREE 

moved and everything could gradually be 
brought about, as she had originally intended. 

She found her chance, the next day. When I 
came back from an errand, in the afternoon, 
I found Tony in the kitchen, in a forlorn con- 
dition. She was sitting all huddled up, staring 
at the floor, quite unlike herself. Her eyes were 
red and swollen with weeping and as I entered 
she wiped away the tears that kept trickling 
down her cheeks. 

“ Tony ! ” I cried, getting down beside her, 
“What’s the matter? — what’s happened?” 

She didn’t look at me, for a minute, and she 
didn’t speak. Only the tears fell faster and she 
gave a little sob. 

“ What is it, Tony? ” I pleaded, as gently as 
I could. “ Can’t you tell me ? ” 

“ Oh, Pie — Pie,” she said at length, “ I don’t 
know what to do! It’s awful — awful! That 
woman’s been here — : Mrs. Jowls — she said — oh, 
Pie, I’m so miserable, I almost wish I were 
dead!” 

“ What did she say, Tony? ” 

Little by little, she told me and, as I listened, 
I could hardly blame her for feeling the way she 
did. It seemed so cruel and wicked and ma- 
licious. Mrs. Jowls had begun, gently enough, 
with assurances of sympathy and kindly feeling. 
She only wanted Tony to understand the Doc- 
tor’s difficulties, she said, and give her a chance 


PARTNERS THREE 143 

to judge for herself what ought to be done. 
She lauded the Doctor up to the skies and ex- 
pressed the greatest admiration for his genius 
and virtue. Then she went on to his present 
financial embarrassment. She not only told 
Tony of his indebtedness to her, which amounted 
now to over $500.00, but she also enlarged upon 
all his other creditors in the neighbourhood and 
the countless struggles which she, Mrs. Jowls, 
had been put to, in interceding with them, on 
the Doctor’s behalf. Otherwise, she declared, 
they would have long since had him in the law- 
courts. She had been willing to do that much 
for the Doctor — she was now willing to do a 
great deal more. She told Tony of the new 
tenants, who wanted the Doctor’s flat, and of 
her own offer to take him to board with her. 

“ Then she told me,” said Tony, “ that I was 
the only one who stood in his way. She went 
over all he has done for me — with so much feel- 
ing ! — and then she asked me if I wasn’t willing 
to make a little sacrifice for him! — A little sac- 
rifice for him, Pie! — What could I say? ” 

“ What did you say, Tony ? ” 

“ I didn’t say anything at first, — it made me 
cry. She said there was no use in speaking to 
the Doctor about it — that wasn’t the way. He 
was too chivalrous to let me go. She said 
she would find a good place for me, herself, if 
I were willing. Then, when the time came, I 


i 4 4 PARTNERS THREE 

could slip off without a word. I could write him 
a letter if I liked — when I was out of the way. 
She promised she’d be responsible for all the 
rest. . . .” 

“ The monster ! ” I exclaimed. “ The idea 
of your running away, without letting the Doc- 
tor know! Why, it would break his heart, 
Tony ! That’s what it would do ! — She only 
said it because she’s jealous and wicked and she 
thinks she can get him f or herself ! ” 

“ I told her I couldn’t do it — I’d never leave 
him, as long as he wanted me to stay — I didn’t 
care what the consequences might be — I wouldn’t 
do it! If the creditors took him to the law- 
courts and put him in jail, I’d go with him — I’d 
be glad to go — I’d make any sacrifice in the 
world for him — I’d starve in a garret, and I’d 
work my fingers to the bone, but I wouldn’t 
run away and leave him, when he was in trouble, 
and she might just as well know it, once for all! 
I couldn’t help it, Pie. Everything seemed to 
turn over inside of me, and I spoke right out.” 

What came after that was a good deal harder 
to tell. Tony’s account of it was very dis- 
jointed and constantly broken by long pauses 
of embarrassment and shame. 

Mrs. Jowls had accused her of being in love 
with the Doctor. She had attributed to Tony 
all sorts of selfish and unworthy motives, in- 
cluding a secret design, which was to allure. 


PARTNERS THREE 145 

the Doctor into marrying her. She was evi- 
dently counting, so Mrs. Jowls said, on her 
pretty face and her sly, kittenish ways to pre- 
vail upon her benefactor’s weakness, some day, 
when he was despondent and reckless. 

Imagine the poor girl’s state, in the face of 
such an accusation! Mrs. Jowls’s words must 
have stabbed into her like a knife, and in her 
utter helplessness, she could do nothing but 
utter a feeble disavowal of such wickedness. 

The effect of that had merely been to give 
Mrs. Jowls a pretext for pushing the torture 
still further. If Tony had no hope of marrying 
the Doctor — if she was sincere in denying it, — 
then she was more sensible than Mrs. Jowls 
supposed. Of course, the Doctor did not mean 
to marry her, and he never would. He 
was a genius and a gentleman; some day 
he would be extremely rich, as well. When the 
time came, he would probably marry some fine 
lady, who would make him a worthy mate. Such 
men did not marry peasant girls ! They might 
take an interest in them, and be kind to them, 
and play with them, but the world knew what to 
think of that ! What did Tony suppose people 
would say about her? What did she expect? 
Everybody in the house was saying it, already ! 
They were whispering and winking and nodding 
their heads, whenever they saw the Doctor and 
Tony together. She wasn’t his daughter — she 


146 PARTNERS THREE 

wasn’t his servant — she wasn’t any relation to 
him. What was she then? A big-eyed, jaunty 
girl, who lived in the same flat with an unmar- 
ried man and spent all her time with him — 
didn’t they have a right to wink? Was that 
what Tony was after? — was that what she 
wanted to be? If not, it was high time she 
realised what she was about. 

“ I can’t tell you all she said,” sobbed Tony. 
“ I can’t bear to think of it ! And yet I know 
it’s true — some of it’s true! I’m not a little 
girl any longer — I’m a woman now, Pie. What’s 
going to become of me? What can I do? I’ve 
no home or family anywhere — nothing but the 
Doctor and you. Can’t I go on living, this way ? 
— Is it wrong and wicked of me? — and will it 
bring harm to the Doctor, too ? ” 

I didn’t know how to answer — I couldn’t 
frame words to speak. For the moment, I was 
simply overwhelmed. 

Tony wiped her eyes disconsolately and strug- 
gled with the turmoil of her thoughts. She 
looked at me pitifully, started to speak and 
checked herself, then went on in a voice that was 
partly a whisper, but more like a moan. 

“ She said — when the Doctor’s rich — suppose 
he marries some lady — what’s to become of me? 
No matter what I’ve been to him, or how much 
he thinks of me now, I couldn’t be in his house 
with another woman there who loved him. I 


PARTNERS THREE 147 

couldn’t, Pie — could I? She wouldn’t have me, 
and I wouldn’t want to be! — So what’s the use? 
— what’s to become of me? Oh, Pie, Pie, I 
wish I were dead ! ” 

That night, after supper, we did the only 
thing that seemed left for us to do, and blurted 
out our thoughts to the Doctor. Tony informed 
him that she didn’t mind a bit sharing Jane’s 
room, on the top floor, and I said I was quite 
ready to go to work in a grocery store. Our 
double announcement came upon the Doctor, so 
to speak, out of a clear sky. He sat back and 
stared at us, first at one and then at the other, 
in his comical way. 

“Well! well!” he exclaimed, “what’s this? 
— a conspiracy ? ” 

We hastened to tell him that we had talked 
things over together — we were quite serious — 
and meant what we said. We admitted that Mrs. 
Jowls had told us about the new tenants and 
her offer to take the Doctor to board with her. 
There was no use pretending — we simply wanted 
him to feel that he must not hesitate on our ac- 
count. 

“Here’s a pretty kettle of fish!” said the 
Doctor, still keeping his expression of exag- 
gerated surprise. “ You understand all about 
it! — You’re going to help me out of my diffi- 
culties! Bless my soul! And Mrs. Jowls told 


148 PARTNERS THREE 

you I had difficulies! Well, well, — how big 
did she make them? Now we’re in for it, so 
let me have it all ! — What else did she tell you, 
Pie? ” 

“ She didn’t say anything to me, sir, — it was 
Tony.” 

“ Oh ! — Well, Tony ?” 

When he saw Tony’s look, he stopped short, 
and his manner underwent a change. 

Poor girl ! How pale and strange she looked ! 
I knew what was going on inside of her. It 
was all she could do to keep from breaking down. 
She couldn’t speak lightly, or answer the Doc- 
tor’s tone. She suffered — she was in misery — 
and the words she had spoken so bravely had 
a terrible seriousness for her. The Doctor 
saw it and felt it, now. He moved his chair a 
little toward her, reached out and took her 
hand. 

“ Why, Tony — ? ” he said, very gently. 

She hung her head and turned away from 
him, biting her lip to keep back the sobs that 
were ready to come. 

“ Why, Tony,” he repeated, “ my poor little 
girl! — It isn’t serious — it’s only a joke. — You 
don’t suppose that I’m going to let Pie work in 
a grocery store, or that I’d really allow you to 
sleep in the garret with Jane! It’s very sweet 
of you both to think of such things, but you see 
I took it as a joke. Mrs. Jowls is another j^ke. 


PARTNERS THREE 149 

It wouldn’t do for you to take her seriously, or 
the first thing you know, you’d make me feel 
ashamed of the way I’ve brought you up. Fie, 
fie, Tony, — we’ve learned to laugh at such 
things l Where’s all our merriment gone?” 

She tried to smile, but it was of no use. The 
tears began to flow, instead. The Doctor con- 
tinued to coax her and tease her, very gently, 
however, and little by little he got her to answer 
his questions. He made her tell him some 
of the things that Mrs. Jowls had said, and then 
he proceeded to laugh them away. The small 
sums of money he owed were, to his mind, not 
worth a moment’s thought. Inventors, philoso- 
phers, great artists, he said, men of genius and 
originality in every calling, had nearly all of 
them revelled in debts, the greater part of their 
lives. It was only petty natures that allowed 
such things to trouble their peace of mind. As 
far as he was concerned, the more debts he had, 
the more fun it would be to startle his creditors 
by paying them off with interest, when pros- 
perity came. Let the creditors worry as much 
as they liked, but he hoped that no member of 
Joyce, Bonnet & Pie would ever condescend to 
imitate them. After he had talked a few min- 
utes in this way, Tony began to brighten. She 
was led on to repeat more of what Mrs. Jowls 
had said. She spoke about the law-courts and 
the dangers that threatened the Doctor in that 


150 PARTNERS THREE 

direction, according to Mrs. Jowls. This merely 
added to his merriment, and he soon had Tony 
smiling at the absurdity of such a fear. 

“It’s all nonsense, from beginning to end! ” 
said he, with final reassurance. “ I’m surprised 
that two such wiseacres, as you and Pie, 
shouldn’t have seen through Mrs. Jowls’s little 
game. She’s a landlady and the proprietor 
of a grocery store. She saw a chance of get- 
ting an extra rental, without losing our patron- 
age, and she’s probably in need of a handy boy 
at the store. That started her after Pie, and 
if she could get you to teach Jane a few artistic 
frills about cooking, why, that would be just 
so much more gain ! ” 

In the presence of such a dear, kind-hearted 
man, talking that way, who could help smiling? 
It began to seem, in truth, as if the greater part 
of our fears were unfounded. All our thoughts 
had centred in the Doctor, and if he took that 
view, how could we feel tragic? Still Tony’s 
smile was rather forlorn and wistful. A deep 
torment had been started within her which the 
Doctor’s words did not touch. 

“ The idea of imagining that I would let 
anybody take you away from me!” he went 
on, trying to find balm for all the hidden hurts. 
“ Why, Tony, my girl, I thought you knew me 
better ! Haven’t we been together long enough 
for that? Nothing could possibly happen that 


PARTNERS THREE 151 

would make me think of letting you go. What 
nonsense! I couldn’t get along without you, 
and I’m never going to let you go — anyhow, not 
till you’re so rich, and proud, and haughty y that 
you will want to cast me off as an old nuisance. 
Even then, I may raise a rumpus ! ” 

That was more like what Tony wanted to 
hear. She gave him a tearful look of gratitude 
and appeal. 

I don’t know what prompted me to do it — I 
must have obeyed some unconscious impulse, I 
suppose. Perhaps it was thought transference, 
and I only gave voice to the words that were 
burning in Tony’s mind. Anyhow, without 
stopping to think what I was’ saying, I blabbed 
right out: 

“ Mrs. Jowls told Tony that you would be 
sure to get married, before long — just as soon 
as you got rich. She said you would marry 
some rich lady and go to live in a big house, 
and Tony’d be left out in the cold ” 

Before I finished saying it, I was sorry. Tony 
gave a stifled little cry, in an effort to stop me, 
and shot me a look of awful reproach. But it 
was too late — I came out with it all in one 
breath. She quivered and turned away, as if 
trying to hide herself, pressing her hand to her 
mouth and hanging her head, more than be- 
fore. 

He glanced at me, then at her, then he burst 


152 PARTNERS THREE 

out laughing. There could be no pretence about 
it this time — it was hearty, whole-souled, glori- 
ous laughter, that sent all gloomy feelings fly- 
ing away and filled the room once more with sun- 
shine. 

“ I get married ! That beats the Dutch ! ” 
and off he went in another roar. “ My chil- 
dren,” he said, when he finally sobered down, 
“ the idea is a colossal one. I appreciate all its 
beauties, and I’m lost in admiration that the 
brain of a simple landlady should be capable of 
such flights.” 

“Why shouldn’t you?” murmured Tony, 
still turned way. 

“ My dear, Mrs. J owls may get married — 
you, Tony, may be led into it, some day, and Pie, 
here, very possibly may be a candidate for the 
honour, a dozen times — so I must be very care- 
ful to give no general application to my views. 
I limit them to the strictly singular. I’m old 
enough to know that any woman who married 
me would be driven to suicide within a week, un- 
less she were an idiot. If she were an idiot, she 
would probably drive me to suicide, in less time 
than that. As I don’t care to be a murderer, 
nor yet a victim of foul play, I can say to you 
both solemnly, I’m not a marrying man. No 
rich woman will ever get her hooks on me. As 
long as I’ve life and health in me, I give you both 


PARTNERS THREE 153 

my word, neither you nor Pie will ever be left 
out in the cold ! 

“ Mrs. J owls is a kindly creature and at heart 
I’m sure she means well. She makes us very 
comfortable here, under her roof, so, after all, 
we can afford to be lenient with her. She likes 
to cackle — that’s one of her little failings. 
She cackles all day, like a hen. You mustn’t 
let her cackle worry you, Tony. The next time 
she begins it, just say to yourself — I’ll tell you 
what to say! I’ll make you a little verse, and 
we’ll see if you can’t get as much fun out of it 
as she does ! — Of course, you must say it under 
your breath, so as not to offend her. — Let’s see, 
now — How about this? 

“ Cackle, cackle, cackle, old hen ! 

Cackle, cackle, cackle, what then? 

Cackle, cackle, cackle! 

Cackle, cackle, cackle! 

“ There you are ! Say that over to yourself, 
as many times as you like, and I defy her to 1 
harm you ! — Say it, now, yourself ! Let me hear 
it, just once — to be sure you’ve got it right. 
Come now — 4 Cackle,’ ” 

Tony repeated the words for him, and we all 
laughed. At last, she was comforted! 


CHAPTER XIV 


H AVING gone this far with my 
story, it might be well for me to 
pause a little, before I undertake 
to recount the bewildering sur- 
prise that was soon to come upon us. 

My chief purpose in beginning this work was 
to give as faithful and complete an account 
as I could of Dr. J oyce. It was not only because 
he was my benefactor and I owed him all the 
gratitude of my heart, but he seemed to me al- 
ways, and he seems to me now, a prince among 
men. I fear that I have given a very poor 
notion of him, with only an infinitesimal sugges- 
tion of his qualities. Every day he gave forth 
from his wonderful treasure house an abundance 
of ideas and sentiments that entranced and up- 
lifted me. Everything that came from him was 
unique and genuine and sparkled with the light 
of his personality. And of all this, how little 
have I been able to reproduce ! 

It might be possible to imagine, moreover, 
from what I have said, that the Doctor was not 
scrupulously honest about money matters. He 
was running up bills, without having the means 
of settling them, and he cajoled his creditors 
i54 


PARTNERS THREE 155 

when they came to collect. Such conduct, on 
the part of another man, would undoubtedly be 
open to criticism. There would probably be a 
touch of dishonesty about it. But in the case 
of the Doctor, this could not possibly apply. I 
am sure there was never a moment’s doubt in 
his mind about paying full value for everything 
he received. He always regarded it as a fore- 
gone conclusion, that, sooner or later, he was 
destined to be very rich. Under such circum- 
stances, what mattered it, for the time being, 
that there were some unpaid bills ? If a creditor 
betrayed anxiety, that was harmless amusement 
— a spectacle of a petty nature agitating its 
pettiness. The Doctor could laugh at it mer- 
rily, just as he could laugh in anticipation of 
the day when a whim might seize him to pay 
them double what they asked. He was almost 
child-like in some ways, it is true, but under- 
neath his peculiarities he was the soul of hon- 
our. 

As regards his generosity, the facts recorded 
thus far, I think, are a sufficient evidence. He 
was always ready to think about helping others, 
and never seemed to bother his head about the 
need of helping himself. Closely allied to this, 
was a deep-seated feeling of pride. Much as 
he liked to give, it made him uncomfortable to 
receive. He was capable of making any sacri- 
fice for others, but I don’t think he could endure 


156 PARTNERS THREE 

the idea of any one making a great sacrifice for 
him. There was not the slightest vanity or pose 
about it ; it was simply innate pride. This part 
of his character must always be borne in mind, 
because it determined his conduct at one of the 
most vital moments of his life. 

Before I get to that, there are one or two 
things that require a passing reference. 

The reassuring words with which the Doctor 
had sought to comfort Tony did not restore my 
peace of mind. I lay awake, night after night, 
trying to evolve some scheme by which I could 
prove my gratitude. I wanted to earn enough 
money to banish all further anxiety about bills 
and creditors. The very idea of a man like the 
Doctor being dependent, for a minute, on the 
bounty of Mrs. Jowls was a humiliation and an 
outrage. Moreover, the day might soon come 
when she would turn him out. It made me wild 
to think about it. I must do something. I 
owed it to the Doctor ; I owed it to myself ; I 
owed it to Tony. The more I thought, the more 
helpless and worthless I seemed to be. But at 
last, an idea occurred to me — a money-making 
scheme which I could carry out, in secret, with- 
out letting the Doctor, or even Tony, know. It 
came to me in the middle of the night, and I de- 
cided then and there to put it into operation. 
Before I accomplished anything, however, events 
of such a nature occurred as to alter the whole 


PARTNERS THREE .157 

situation, for the time being. I will tell, later on, 
what came of my scheme. I merely wish to 
record here that I had one in mind and did not 
abandon it, but went ahead quietly making my 
preparations. 

Meanwhile, the first thing that occurred to 
relieve the situation was the renewal of our 
relations with George Hablin. 

After the trouble with Chauncey, we had seen 
nothing more of George for some time. He 
paid us one visit which I have referred to, 
when he vented his indignation, and then disap- 
peared. Days and weeks went by, without our 
hearing a word of him. Shortly after the Mrs. 
Jowls episode, he came back to us. He seemed 
a little sheepish and embarrassed, but volun- 
teered no explanation for his long desertion. It 
developed later that this is what happened to 
him: 

His infatuation for Florence led him to con- 
tinue his visits to the De Witt household and 
this, in turn, had caused him to modify his 
avenging attitude toward Chauncey. Just what 
words passed between them, I cannot say, but 
the upshot was that the threatened breach 
between the two had been effectively patched up, 
without bloodshed, and the old footing of 
friendship had been resumed. Under the cir- 
cumstances, George had felt ashamed to mingle 
with us. He felt, no doubt, that the two camps 


.158 PARTNERS THREE 

were hostile and he had allied himself with our 
enemies. This was what kept him away. The 
explanation of his return to us was a violent 
and bitter termination of his affair with Flor- 
ence. She had thrown him over — he had thrown 
her over, — and he had made an eternal vow never 
to enter her presence again. 

It is possible that George felt it necessary 
to concoct some pretext in order to justify his 
return to us. At all events, he announced, al- 
most immediately upon his arrival, that he had a 
little business proposition which he would like 
to talk over with the Doctor. Tony and I 
retired discreetly, and in a very short time the 
“ business proposition ” was made and accepted. 
Tony and I were called back to share in the 
happy conclusion of an agreement. George had 
offered the Doctor $500.00 for a part interest 
in one of his inventions, the Rejuvenated Shoe 
Leather Process. The Doctor was willing to 
let him have one-half of the patent, but George 
insisted that he would not accept more than 
one-quarter. In the end, a compromise was 
reached on one-third. From that day, George 
resumed his frequent visits to us, just as if 
nothing had occurred to interrupt them. 

Mrs. Jowls, I suspect, was the principal one 
to profit by this transaction. After an inter- 
view with the Doctor, the next day, she resigned 
herself, with apparent cheerfulness, to the ne- 


PARTNERS THREE 159 

cessity of allowing the Doctor’s household ar- 
rangements to continue as before. 

Before I come to the extraordinary event that 
soon overwhelmed us, I ought to refer, in a few 
words, to the change which had taken place in 
Tony, during those two years. This change 
had been so very gradual that any one living 
in daily contact with her would hardly be con- 
scious of any change at all. The Doctor still 
treated her, in every way, exactly as he did 
when I first went to live with them. In his 
thoughts, no doubt, she remained always the 
homeless little girl he had befriended in Switz- 
erland and taken under his wing. To me 
likewise, she seemed much the same. When I 
first went with them, she had opened her heart 
to me, in a simple, girlish way, and taken me 
in as a friend and a playmate. She had tried 
to make me feel that we were equals in all things 
— outcasts in the world — pupils and slaves of 
the Doctor — frank and trusting comrades be- 
tween ourselves. That’s the basis we started 
on and during these two years there was never 
a sign on her part of anything different. 

She was greatly changed, nevertheless. In 
the first place, she no longer wore short skirts, 
or a braid of hair down her back. There was 
nothing child-like or unformed about her. 
Without pose or affectation of any kind, quite 


160 PARTNERS THREE 

unconsciously, she had blossomed and unfolded 
into womanhood. Tony was a woman — a 
young and beautiful woman, in all that the word 
implies — sensitive and tender in her feelings, 
graceful and dainty in her ways, and possessed 
of unusual intelligence. 

In this connection, it occurs to me that un- 
wittingly I may have given a false impression of 
Doctor Joyce. Could it be imagined, from the 
way I have spoken of him, in these pages, that 
he was too old a man for a girl to fall madly in 
love with ? Have I suggested that he was care- 
less in his habits and so, perhaps, untidy in ap- 
pearance, or that there was the slightest suspi- 
cion of waning strength? Nothing could be 
further from the truth. I was so young when 
I first saw him that any man, who wore a beard 
and carried himself with dignity and author- 
ity, seemed more or less “ old ” to me. More- 
over, the Doctor knew so much, had travelled 
so much and seen so much, that his very wisdom 
inspired me with veneration. In this way, a 
false impression may have crept into my words. 
As a man would see him, or a woman, the idea 
of thinking the Doctor “ old ” would be ab- 
surd. On the contrary, his youth, exuberance, 
and bubbling vitality, were the first of his 
qualities to impress everyone. His eyes were 
clear and bright, his complexion ruddy and 
blooming with health, every movement he made 


PARTNERS THREE 161 

surcharged with latent energy. He was a very 
handsome man, too — I mean from a woman’s 
point of view. Mrs. Jowls once confided to 
me that he was the handsomest man she ever 
saw, and the women in the house, she said, 
were all crazy about his looks. Notwithstand- 
ing his indifference to details, he was always 
scrupulously particular about the care of his 
person. His beard was always trimmed to a 
nicety; the condition of his hands and finger 
nails, and the whiteness of his teeth, gave evi- 
dence of constant and punctilious attention. 
Those little things, he told me, while of no 
great consequence in themselves, were necessary 
adjuncts of good taste and good breeding. 
No gentleman had a right to neglect them, and 
he was very careful to see that I followed his 
precepts. 

At the time I am speaking of, to be precise, 
the Doctor had just entered upon his thirty- 
eighth year. I was then nineteen, so he was still 
about twice my age. There was something in 
that thought, of itself, to inspire a certain 
amount of awe and reverence in any boy. But 
I began to realise instinctively, even then, that, 
compared with other grown-up people, he 
couldn’t be considered old at all. He was sim- 
ply a man in the prime of life, with all the 
freshness and vigour of manhood unimpaired. 

If it had been otherwise, I don’t suppose my 


1 62 PARTNERS THREE 


dream would have occurred to me. My dream 
was that some day, all in good time, the Doctor 
and Tony would get married. From the mo- 
ment the idea first came to me, I had thought 
about it very often, very deeply, from every 
point of view. The more I thought of it and 
the better I learned to appreciate their natures, 
the more convined I became that they must 
have been intended for each other from the be- 
ginning. 

The idea of Tony’s humble parentage was 
the only seeming objection. I considered this 
from all points of view. Suppose her family 
had belonged to the peasant class, what had 
that to do with her? There was not the slight- 
est trace of such an origin in her being now. 
Every feeling, every instinct, every quality 
she had was the essence of refinement. No 
daughter of princes could be her superior, in 
heart, in soul, in bodily form — in the grace and 
distinction that characterised every movement 
of her delicate, high-strung nature. It was 
wonderful to think that such a creature could 
really be the child of ordinary Swiss peasants. 
Sometimes I refused to believe it and imagined 
there must be some mystery connected with her 
birth. But no, it was all the more beautiful, 
just that way. It fitted in better with my dream 
to regard her as a special creation — a unique 
exception — designed by Fate, to be left in the 


PARTNERS THREE 163 

Doctor’s way and brought up with him in a 
perfect harmony of character and mind. No 
one else was good enough for either of them — • 
they must have been meant for each other. 

They had started quite far apart — a full- 
grown man and a little girl — but the passing of 
time was bringing them closer and closer to- 
gether. The Doctor, as I saw him, was con- 
stantly growing younger — an impression due, 
I suppose, to my own development. At the 
same time, from year to year, from month to 
month, Tony grew rapidly older, as she ap- 
proached the fulness of her womanhood. From 
being his pupil and ward — from being her mas- 
ter and guardian — they had been drifting 
softly and mysteriously toward a wonderful 
moment of awakening — the realisation of my 
dream — when they would see in each other a 
husband and a wife. 

I do not know whether Tony or the Doctor 
had ever looked forward to the possibility of 
such a conclusion — very likely they had not. 
As far as the Doctor was concerned, the way 
would be blocked by the idea of taking advan- 
tage of a dependent’s gratitude and innocent 
affection. Tony loved the Doctor with all her 
heart — she idolised him, but I doubt if it ever 
occurred to her that she desired anything more 
than to continue serving him, as she had always 
done. Considering herself a peasant girl of 


1 64 PARTNERS THREE 

low birth, in the humbleness of her mind, she 
could have no other aspirations. The very sug- 
gestion, that the Doctor some day might offer 
to marry her, would, no doubt, have seemed to 
her quite preposterous. For all that, it might 
come to pass, in due time — it could not fail, in 
my dream. And I dreamed, too, that they would 
let me stay with them always, in a corner of 
their hearts, and feast on the crumbs of their 
happiness. 

My secret, cherished, beautiful dream! 


CHAPTER XIV 


O NE morning, in the early part of 
i May, George and I were in the 
[ alcove mixing chemicals, for use in 
the Doctor’s experiments with the 
Shoe Leather. We had reached a point in this 
invention where the end seemed plainly in sight. 
Only a few slight modifications were needed to 
crown the idea with complete success. The 
Doctor had left with us a paper on which he 
had worked out a series of* mixtures to be 
tested, with the addition of a new ingredient. 
We had been working over these for an hour 
or more and Tony, after attending to some 
household duties, came and joined us at our 
task. We chattered merrily as we helped one 
another in the simple work and a note of peace- 
ful contentment was in us and about us, as 
bright and balmy as the spring sunshine that 
streamed through the windows of our sitting- 
room. 

Everything seemed particularly promising 
that morning. Thanks to George, all worry 
about creditors had disappeared, for the pres- 
ent. His participation in the Leather Process 
had revived the Doctor’s interest in the 
idea and caused him to devote himself with 
165 


*66 PARTNERS THREE 

zest to the experiments. In addition to this, 
there had been a new development with the 
roller steam-ship. An important concern had 
finally condescended to take an interest in the 
invention, and the Doctor had had a long and 
gratifying talk with its representative. As 
a result of the talk, the Doctor had started out 
in high spirits, that very morning, for another 
interview with the boat-builder at Morris 
Heights. 

While George and Tony and I were working 
away over the chemicals, we were suddenly in- 
terrupted by the entrance of Mrs. Jowls. She 
came rushing in upon us, breathless and excited, 
with an open newspaper in her hand. 

“Where’s Doctor Joyce?” she demanded, 
gasping for breath and staring at us in a most 
alarming way. “ Where’s the Doctor? — Isn’t 
he here? ” 

“ The Doctor’s gone out,” answered Tony, 
rather formally, but growing pale in spite of 
herself. 

“ I came right up — he ought to be told 
at once — it took my breath away — it’s in the 
paper — I’m scared to death! There can’t be 
any mistake! — Here, read what it says your- 
self—” 

She thrust the paper out at George, and put 
her hand to her bosom, with all the agitation 
she might have shown in the presence of a 


PARTNERS THREE 167 

calamity. When George began looking over 
the paper, without being able to find the place, 
she pointed it out to him with a jab of her 
finger, then immediately resumed her breathless 
attitude. 

This is what George read: 

$500.00 REWARD. 

The above sum will be paid for any informa- 
tion as to the present whereabouts of a man 
known as Doctor Ledoux or Lajoie. The man 
referred to is described as tall and well pro- 
portioned, and about forty years of age, at 
the present time. His hair and complexion 
are fair, and when last known he was in the 
habit of wearing a pointed beard. He is sup- 
posed to be an American or a Russian, and is 
known to have resided, during the year 1896-7, 
in the cottage of Therese Bonnet near Lau- 
sanne, on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. At that 
time, he is reported to have been in constant 
communication with anarchistic societies in Rus- 
sia and England, and he is known to have de- 
voted himself secretly to the fabrication of 
mysterious mechanical contrivances. Any in- 
formation leading to his discovery will be 
treated in strictest confidence. 

Folger & Du Bois, 
•Counsellors at Law, 

31 Nassau St., New York City. 


1 68 PARTNERS THREE 


When George finished, we stood staring at 
one another in blank consternation. There 
could be no mistake. The Doctor was the man 
they wanted. But what could it mean ? 

The reference to the anarchistic societies 
had an ominous sound. Cold shudders had 
gone through me, in spite of myself, when 
George came to those words. I remembered 
the day the Doctor had taken me with him to 
meet his friend, Blokovitch — the escaped an- 
archist from Siberia. All he had said that 
day, in praise of the man, flashed through my 
mind. Could it be possible that there was 
something hidden in the Doctor’s past — some 
dangerous act that had just been discovered, 
after all these years? Those visits to Russia, 
and the group of men he had referred to who 
drank so hard — he had been one of them — was 
that what it meant — ? Tony had been with him 
all that time. Did she know — ? I looked 
at her searchingly for some sign that would 
give a clue to her thoughts. She was very 
pale and frightened, but she looked at me 
exactly as I looked at her, without understand- 
ing. 

Wild thoughts began to rush through my 
brain. There might be danger for the Doctor; 
but he had not been arrested yet, and need 
never be. The name in the paper was not his, 
and no one but us knew about his living on 


PARTNERS THREE 169 

Lake Geneva. What was to prevent his going 
away quickly to some place where he was quite 
unknown, and changing his name? It might 
be several days before any one thought to con- 
nect him with this offer of reward. There was 
plenty of time to get away safely and cover 
our tracks. That was one of the things that 
Mickey and I had often discussed, in planning 
our escape from the House of Refuge. 

All these thoughts, and many more, rushed 
through my head in an inconceivably short 
space of time, while we were still standing there, 
under the first shock of the disclosure. — George 
was the first to break the silence. 

“ That’s the Doctor,” he said. “ No ques- 
tion about it. What could they want him for? 
— It may be a legacy? ” 

“ If it was a legacy, they’d know his right 
name in full — wouldn’t they?” retorted Mrs. 
Jowls, with a flash of scorn at him. Then she 
returned her hand to her bosom, and began 
gasping again with renewed agitation. 

George glanced back at the paper, then 
looked about at us in a puzzled way. 

“What else can it mean?” he said, handing 
the paper to me. 

“ It’s something wrong he’s done in the past,” 
burst out Mrs. Jowls, “before he was old 
enough to know better ! The poor man ! And 
now somebody’s confessed and they’ve traced 


170 PARTNERS THREE 

it to him ! The poor man ! ” Whereupon she 
sniffled, and began wiping her nose. 

“ Mrs. Jowls ! ” It was Tony who protested, 
in a voice of indignation. 

“ I’ve had a suspicion all along that there 
was something about him,” whined Mrs. Jowls. 
“ It stands to reason — a fine appearing man 
like that, with all his superior education and a 
gentleman’s ways, livin’ here the way he has 
with poor common .people ! It always ends like 
that! And here I’ve been trusting him, and 
showering him with kindness and bein’ imposed 
on all the while! That’s what it always comes 
to, and I ought to have known ! ” She sank 
down upon a chair and covered her face with 
her apron, moaning meanwhile, and giving, in 
all ways, a ridiculous exhibition of her blasted 
hopes. 

A few minutes later, she confessed to us 
that she had already written a letter to the firm 
of lawyers named in the paper, notifying them 
that she was able to furnish the information 
they required. The $500.00 reward had proved 
too much of a temptation for her and she had 
succumbed to it on the spot. The letter had 
already been put in the post-box, before she 
came to our rooms, and it was too late to stop 
it now. 

This act of perfidy filled me with such indig- 
nation and contempt that I was unable to con- 


PARTNERS THREE 171 

trol myself. I told her what I thought of her, 
and did not stop to pick my words. Such 
treachery, at such a time, seemed too base and 
horrible! With the thought of all the other 
things she had done to disturb our happiness 
surging through me, the only wonder is that I 
did not choke her. The look that I saw on 
Tony’s face when she heard what Mrs. Jowls 
had done was enough to drive me to any act of 
desperation. I had sense enough to realise, 
however, that violence directed against Mrs. 
Jowls would be of no help to the Doctor. His 
peril was the only thing that mattered now; 
so I checked myself, in the midst of my out- 
burst, and turned to George and Tony. 

“ That’s all very pretty ! ” flared up Mrs. 
Jowls, as soon as I turned from her. “Why 
shouldn’t I look out for myself, I’d like to 
know — with all the trouble I’ve had with my 
lodgers, and all the money that’s owed to me! 
A poor woman doesn’t get her chance to make 
$500.00, like that, every day, and if I didn’t 
take it when* I could, you’re a fool to think 
somebody else wouldn’t be there ahead of me! 
I’m not the only one that reads the papers! 
There’s plenty of others, right here in the 
neighbourhood, who’ll suspect quick enough 
it’s the Doctor they’re after, and make no mis- 
take! A nice fool I’d be to let them get the 
reward ! ” 


172 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Mrs. Jowls, — ” said Tony, drawing herself 
up, very pale, and her whole face quivering, as 
she faced the landlady. 

The words were never spoken, for just then 
the Doctor’s footsteps sounded in the hall, 
and a moment later he appeared before us in 
the door-way. Tony gave 'a cry and rushed to 
him, holding his hand and nestling close. Then, 
still holding the Doctor’s hand in both her own, 
she turned proudly and defiantly toward Mrs. 
Jowls. 

“ Hello ! ” said the Doctor. “ What have we 
here? — What’s the trouble? ” 

Mrs. Jowls, who had previously risen to her 
feet, collapsed into a chair again at sight of 
the Doctor, and recommenced her sniffling and 
blubbering. 

“What’s the trouble?” repeated the Doc- 
tor. 

“Have you see this, sir?” volunteered 
George, handing him the newspaper and indi- 
cating the place. 

He took the paper, glanced over it, then 
looked about from one to the other of us, as 
if seeking further explanation. He did not 
seem very much surprised or alarmed and I 
could detect the merry twinkle lurking in his 
eye. 

“ Oh, I see,” he went on, after a momentary 
pause. “You’ve read this notice and you’ve 


PARTNERS THREE 173 

imagined the tall gentleman, here mentioned, 
refers to me — Is that it? ” 

“ Oh, Doctor ! ” murmured Tony, strained 
with suspense, tears welling to her eyes. 

“ It looked that way to us,” said George, 
making an effort to appear easy. Mrs. Jowls 
had ceased her wailing, and was now all at- 
tention. 

“ I can’t say that I see any reason to dispute 
you,” pursued the Doctor. “It looked that 
way to me — in fact, that was the first thought 
that occurred to me when my eye happened to 
light on this paragraph, about two hours ago. 
I was in a street car, at the time, on my way 
to the Grand Central Station to take a train 
for Morris Heights. I was glancing through 
the Herald, when my eye happened to light on 
this notice. I will confess that it caused me 
quite a shock and, as I studied it over, the 
elusiveness and mystery of it became thor- 
oughly fascinating. It started me off on a 
train of thoughts which actually carried me 
past my destination. 

“ I do not doubt it occurred to you all, as it 
did to me, that in view of the size of the reward 
offered, it is only reasonable to suppose that 
important interests are involved in this mat- 
ter. Negotiations of magnitude are on the 
horizon. That much is obvious. But the rest 
is shrouded in such delicious uncertainty that 


174 PARTNERS THREE 

it allows full scope for the most fanciful flights 
of the imagination. — You all know me well 
enough to conceive what an enjoyable ride I 
had in that street car ! 

44 Before I got off, one detail had impressed 
itself upon my mind quite forcibly. Informa- 
tion was wanted as to my whereabouts. That 
information was valued at $500.00. No one 
was better qualified than myself to supply it. 
The reasoning was sound and the conclusion 
obvious. I had only to find myself and claim 
the reward. Unique and delightful! ” 

He paused and looked about at us. We were 
all staring at him with wide-open eyes, amazed 
and dumfounded. No wonder it seemed funny 
to him. We were displaying the breathless 
suspense and awe of tragedy while he played 
the merry music of a farce. An outburst of 
laughter was ready to shake him, but he held 
it back and, opening his eyes to an expression 
of wonder that mimicked ours, he went on with 
his recital. 

44 The deed is done, children ! The reward is 
mine! I appreciate your anxiety — you were 
afraid that some rascal would get ahead of me 
and snatch the bread from our mouths ! 99 

George suddenly exploded with laughter — 
he was looking at Mrs. Jowls. The expression 
her face had now assumed was enough to con- 
vulse any one. Confusion, shame, disappoint- 


PARTNERS THREE 175 

ment, defiance, and relief were all pictured in 
her countenance, at the same time, and combined 
in her air of general stupefaction. Tony and 
I laughed with him and if there was a note of 
derision and triumph in our voices, we could 
not help it. The spectacle of Mrs. Jowls being 
thus thwarted in her treachery by the Doctor, 
quite unconsciously, and put to shame in this 
way before us all was such exquisite retribution ! 
The Doctor, of course, was totally unaware of 
any personal application in our outburst. 

“Did you go to the lawyers, Doctor?” 
inquired Mrs. Jowls, as soon as she got a 
chance. 

“ No,” said the Doctor. “ I went to a tele- 
phone booth, at the Grand Central Station. 
The telephone — ah! there was an invention! — 
an admirable invention! Too much credit can 
never be given to the mind that conceived the 
idea. A man might lead a hundred great armies 
to victory and yet not be entitled to half as 
much recognition from his country and from 
humanity as the man who evolved that little 
instrument! — In less than five minutes, I was 
in connection with the lawyers’ office and had 
the satisfaction of knowing that I gave them 
the first information as to my whereabouts. 
Thanks to the telephone, it was all done so 
simply and quickly that I still had time to catch 
my train for Morris Heights, where I had a 


176 PARTNERS THREE 

most entertaining interview with that idiotic 
boat-builder.” 

“ Doctor,” said Tony, when he had finished, 
holding his hand again and still tremulous with 
anxiety, “ that notice in the paper — what is 
it for? — What does it mean?” 

“ My dear,” said the Doctor, “ all that I 
know is that some one is very anxious to find 
me. — I’ve had a number of patents, you know, 
on file in Europe for a good many years. This 
firm of lawyers has French connections. The 
man who spoke to me on the ’phone had a de- 
cided accent. It’s barely possible that those 
slow-coaches over there have finally waked up 
to the importance of one of my ideas. We’ll 
know more about that very soon. They are go- 
ing to send a representative to confer with me. 

“ In the meantime, whatever comes of it, 
let us congratulate ourselves on obtaining a 
reward so easily! That $500.00, while a com- 
paratively insignificant sum in itself, will be 
used in perfecting ideas and conceptions of the 
greatest consequence to mankind. We must 
not despise it.” 


CHAPTER XV 


T HE Doctor and I were together in 
the alcove, in the midst of chemi- 
cals and shoe leather, when there 
came a knock on the hall door. 
Tony had gone out to make some purchases 
and George had accompanied her. It was about 
three o’clock in the afternoon. 

“ Come in ! ” shouted the Doctor. 

At that moment he was engaged in pound- 
ing out a mass of leather compound with a 
hammer, while I poured on the oil preparation 
that softened it. This particular result looked 
very promising, and we were loath to inter- 
rupt it. 

Mrs. Jowls appeared in the sitting-room and 
came toward us with conscious dignity. She 
had a visiting card in her hand, which she held 
out to the Doctor. 

“ Ah? ” said he, glancing at the card, “ Gus- 
tave Du Bois — Where is he? — downstairs?” 

“ He’s outside in the hall,” whispered Mrs. 
J owls, rolling her eyes mysteriously. 

“ Let him come right in ! By all means ! ” 
And without waiting for Mrs. Jowls, he started 
across the sitting-room, just as he was. 
x 77 


178 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Come right in, sir ! Come right in ! — I must 
apologise for giving you such a lot of stairs to 
climb.” 

The Doctor was still carrying the hammer in 
his hand — his shirt sleeves were rolled up and 
he had on one of Tony’s cotton aprons, which 
was tied tight around the neck and again 
around the waist with a piece of cord. 
The appearance he presented, as Mr. Du 
Bois entered, was not very decorous, and I 
don’t wonder that the little Frenchman stopped 
at the threshold and showed astonishment. 

“ Come right in,” repeated the Doctor, with- 
out the slightest embarrassment. “ You’ll 
have to excuse 'my get-up — I was just in the 
midst of an experiment.” 

Mr. Du Bois was a model of propriety, as he 
stood in the door-way. He wore a black frock- 
coat, tightly buttoned about his diminutive 
figure, and held before him, most precisely, a 
glossy silk hat. He had on light yellow kid 
gloves, such as are usually worn by women, 
and carried a slender silver-headed cane, 
daintily crooked up under one arm. His head 
was partially bald and very shiny. His small 
black moustache was neatly waxed and behind 
his eye-glasses, which were attached to a flow- 
ing ribbon, was a little pair of eyes as bright 
as a weasel’s. 

“ Is it the Doctor J oy ce whom I have the hon- 


PARTNERS THREE 179 

our of addressing? ” he inquired, with careful 
enunciation. 

“ That’s right — I’m the man. Won’t you 
come in and sit down? — Let me take your hat.” 

“ Thank you,” acknowledged the Frenchman, 
as carefully and punctiliously as before. He 
shot a glance about the room, scrutinised the 
Doctor, then crossed to the table, placed his hat 
and stick upon it, with stiffness and delibera- 
tion, and sat down. Mrs. Jowls, in the mean- 
time, had gotten over near the door and tarried 
there, devoured by curiosity, hoping to catch 
some word that would furnish a clue to the mean- 
ing of this ominous visitation of the law. 

“ Thank you very much, Mrs. Jowls,” and the 
Doctor turned to her politely. “ I’m sorry you 
gave yourself all the bother of coming up.” 

“ Not at all, Doctor,” she muttered, forcing 
a smile. She hesitated, started for the door, 
half turned for a final sweep of curiosity, then 
marched out. She closed the outer door rather 
smartly — to remove all suspicion, I suppose, 
that she could condescend to eavesdropping. 

The Doctor was trying to untie the string of 
the apron, which had become knotted, and he 
called me to help him. After I got it untied and 
handed him his coat, I was about to leave the 
room, when he stopped me. 

“ You needn’t go away, Pie,” he said. “ I 
know you’re just as much interested as I am to 


i8o PARTNERS THREE 

hear what Mr. Du Bois has to say.” He turned 
to the lawyer. “ You won’t mind my boy, I 
hope? He has a share in everything I do.” 

Mr. Du Bois turned and examined me. “ Cer- 
tainly,” he shrugged. “ As you wish.” 

Who but the Doctor would have thought of a 
poor boy’s feelings at such a time. It was like 
him. That’s all I can say. I sat down in a 
chair by the wall and waited, with thumping 
heart, for the words of mystery that Mr. Du 
Bois had come to speak. 

“ Monsieur,” began the lawyer, pausing to 
choose his words carefully, “ you have read the 
advertisement in this morning’s paper and, if I 
understand you correctly, you claim to be the 
man we seek. Am I correct? ” 

" Quite so,” assented the Doctor. 

“ You will pardon me if I ask you whether 
you have any proofs to give, that there is no 
mistake? The matter is of importance. I would 
like first to be sure. A large reward is offered 
for that man. It is for us to pay this reward. 
Before I say more, therefore, it is for me to hear 
from you on what you base your claim.” 

66 Certainly,” said the Doctor. “ My name is 
Joyce — Jeremiah Joyce. That is not the name 
which appears in the paper, it is true, but the 
accompanying details assured me at once that 
I’m the one you want. I went to Switzerland 
in the spring of ’95, and spent the balance of 


PARTNERS THREE 181 

the year and the following winter in Madame 
Bonnet’s house — Therese Bonnet. I was devot- 
ing myself to some experiments with machinery, 
at that time, and the other details, as to my age, 
appearance, and so forth, are fairly accurate.” 

The lawyer scrutinised him a moipent impres- 
sively, in silence, then he slowly propounded the 
following question : 

fi£ At the time you speak of, was there any 
other person residing in that cottage except 
yourself? ” 

“ No. I was the only boarder. There was 
only room for one at a time.” 

“Ah?” said the lawyer, raising his brows 
significantly. “ Then I am to understand that 
you and Madame Bonnet were the only persons 
living in the cottage at that time? ” 

“ Quite so,” assented the Doctor. “ There 
was no one else — except Madame Bonnet’s little 
niece.” 

“ Ah ? ” and the lawyer raised his brows as 
before. “ Madame Bonnet had a niece? You 
did not say that.” 

“ Yes, Antoinette — a little girl of eight or 
ten. She lived with Madame Bonnet and helped 
her with the work.” 

The lawyer nodded his head slowly, turned 
and examined the Doctor again, as if weighing 
the evidence, then shifted slightly in his seat and 
gazed into space. 


1 82 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Monsieur,” he said at length, “ it is suffi- 
cient. You could not have fabricated that. One 
has to be cautious. Where a reward is offered, 
you know, one must guard against impos- 
tors.” 

“ You needn’t apologise,” put in the Doctor. 
“ It’s all right — I’m the man — you’ve found me. 
What then? ” 

“ In the first place, whatever is the outcome of 
our search, I will tell you now that that reward 
will be paid to you honourably.” 

“ Thank you,” said the Doctor. “ It is a 
small matter, but, as I am entitled to it, I will 
accept it.” 

“ Monsieur, it is a great satisfaction to me 
that I have found you. It was I who made that 
advertisement. Everyone said it was no use. I 
came back last week from Paris. For two 
months now, there has been an advertisement in 
many countries of Europe. My confreres in 
Paris said information would never come to us. 
It was sure you must be dead.” 

The Doctor laughed. “ Now that I’ve come 
to life again,” he said, “ I’m curious to hear 
what you’re going to do with me ? ” 

“ Monsieur, it is understood what I say to you 
and what you say to me we must ,hold in strict 
confidence. It is a most delicate matter. It 
must not make head-lines for the newspapers.” 
He glanced over at me as he spoke. 


PARTNERS THREE 183 

“ Certainly,” said the Doctor. “ Strictly 
confidential. I will answer for Pie.” 

The lawyer shifted in his seat, looked down 
at the floor, turned to the Doctor, and made a 
long pause. 

“ That little girl — Madame Bonnet’s niece — 
when Madame Bonnet died, have you some idea 
what became of that girl ? ” 

That was a strange question. The Doctor 
was not prepared for it. His whole manner 
changed completely. He looked startled and 
grave. My heart jumped to my throat and con- 
tinued to flutter there, in spite of my efforts to 
swallow it down. 

“ I have,” said the Doctor. 

“ Will you be so kind and tell me when and 
where it happened that last you saw her ? ” 

“No trouble about that — here, in this room, 
about an hour ago.” 

The lawyer’s glasses fell from his nose. He 
was unable to control the excitement which sud- 
denly came over him. 

“ Here, in this room ! ” he exclaimed. 
“ — That little girl ! She is alive, then P ” 

“ This is where she lives,” replied the Doctor 
quietly. “ Am I to understand that she is con- 
cerned in this matter? ” 

“ One moment, Monsieur ! Permit me, if you 
please, a few questions before I tell you that.” 

“ Very well. Ask away,” said the Doctor. 


184 partners three 

44 This girl — this young lady — for she is 
grown up a woman now, — is she — she is — not 
yet married, I suppose? ” 

44 No.” 

44 If I ask, now, a delicate question, I apolo- 
gise for that. It is of importance that I know 
these things. Is she — what they say — is she 
what one calls respectable — a good girl, tout 
a fait? 99 

For all reply to this question, the Doctor 
gave an impatient nod, and looked dangerous. 
The lawyer glanced away and hesitated, then 
he eyed the Doctor again, a trifle suspiciously. 

44 It is not curiosity which makes me question. 
As man to man, you know what I ask and you 
give me your word for that? ” 

44 That’s enough ! ” said the Doctor. 44 I’ve 
answered your question — what next? ” 

44 1 do not wish to offend — can you tell me, 
then, how it is that she lives* here? Has she re- 
ceived some education ? ” 

44 She has. The very best. I have educated 
her, myself.” 

44 Ah? ” The lawyer raised his brows again 
and adjusted his glasses. 44 You have educated 
her yourself? She has not then been to a con- 
vent or school? — She has not received those — 
advantages — those accomplishments of a young 
lady ? ” 

44 She has never been to school — no. Girls’ 


PARTNERS THREE 185 

schools are run by idiots and convents are a 
little worse. Tony, thank heaven, has escaped 
both abominations ! ” 

“ Tony ? ” 

“ Antoinette. I call her Tony.” 

“ Ah ! yes — Antoinette ! Pardon. I did not 
follow. — Will you tell me how it is she lives? 
Does she amuse herself? Is she happy, or per- 
haps she must work to make her bread? ” 

“ Yes, certainly. She works in the kitchen — 
she makes bread and other good things, attends 
to our household cares, does anything and every- 
thing that a normal, unspoiled girl should do, 
and her life, I think, has been unusually happy 
and contented.” 

“ Is she good to look at? — her face is 
pretty? 5 

“ Beautiful,” said the Doctor. 

“ Ah! ” ejaculated the lawyer, turning again 
to scrutinise the Doctor with an expression that 
betrayed perplexity and mystification. “ Mon- 
sieur,” he said at length, “ it is not clear to me. 
Will you tell me why it was you took that girl 
from Switzerland and kept her so many years? 
If it is true, as you have told me, — what would 
you make of her? — what is the motive? ” 

“ The motive, sir,” retorted the Doctor, los- 
ing all patience, “ was pity and affection — two 
very human sentiments which it is not to be 
expected a lawyer would understand.” 


1 86 PARTNERS THREE 

“ Monsieur, — ” the lawyer started to pro- 
test. 

“ You’ve asked enough questions,” went on 
the Doctor, without heeding him, “ and I’ve an- 
swered them. Now if you have any news to com- 
municate, I will thank you to do so. I presume 
it is a question of some inheritance which An- 
toinette is entitled to. If that is the case, I sup- 
pose you will have no objection to giving the 
details.” 

The lawyer shifted in his seat, glanced at the 
floor and seemed at last to decide that the mo- 
ment had arrived for making his revelation. 

“ I will tell you, now,” he said, “ what it is 
that has happened. — Last April, a small cottage 
near the water of Lake Geneva, about a mile 
from Lausanne, was torn down. In the cellar 
of that cottage, one of the workmen found a 
small box of tin, or iron, which had been there 
for some years and of which the owner of the 
cottage knew nothing. When this box was 
opened, many things of value were found in it — 
a considerable sum of money in French bank- 
notes, some valuable jewels, and other things. 
Most important of all were some papers and 
documents which showed to whom that box be- 
longed. 

“ You are not a Frenchman, Monsieur, so per- 
haps you will not have heard of a great sensa- 
tion which occurred in Paris, now almost twenty 


PARTNERS THREE 187 

years ago. It was a great scandale — a cause 
celebre — which filled the newspapers at that 
time, and produced a big shock among some no- 
ble families of the Faubourg St. Germain. The 
Vicomte de Caillieres, whose ancestor was that 
famous Due de Caillieres, a great general under 
Louis XIV, ran away — eloped, as you say — 
with the Comtesse de La Brize. She was young 
and very beautiful — one of the most admired 
and courted leaders of the fashionable world. 
She had been married but a short time — three o*r 
four years — and her husband, the Comte de La 
Brize, was the last representative of a name 
which is most distinguished in the annals of 
France. He was very rich, very prominent, a 
member of the Chamber of Deputies, and a close 
friend and adviser of the Comte de Paris— the 
Bourbon Pretender to the throne of France. 
You can imagine what a sensation it was when 
his young wife, that beautiful Comtesse, ran 
away with the Vicomte and disappeared. This 
was in the autumn of 1886. I was in France at 
the time, doing my military service, and for one 
week in the army we talked of nothing else. I 
remember it as yesterday. Then it was forgot- 
ten — other sensations happened, to fill the news- 
papers, and we talked of it no more. So it 
goes.” — The lawyer paused, shifted in his seat 
and adjusted his glasses. He turned and looked 
at the Doctor impressively, before continuing. 


188 PARTNERS THREE 


“ Monsieur, I must tell you that not one word, 
after that, was ever heard from the Vicomte de 
Caillieres, or the Comtesse de La Brize. They 
simply disappeared. Every effort was made, by 
both families, to discover what had become of 
them. That was not found out. Years passed 
by and it was not even known whether they were 
living or dead. The Comtesse took her jewels 
with her and some other belongings, and the 
Vicomte was said to have drawn from the bank 
considerable money. It is not even sure that the 
Vicomte was in communication, after that, with 
his notary in Paris. This notary may have 
known something of their whereabouts, but he 
did not tell, and now for eight years he is 
dead. 

“ Monsieur, that small tin box, which was 
found in the cellar in Switzerland, had in it 
the jewels of Madame La Comtesse de La Brize, 
and those papers and documents belonged to 
the Vicomte de Caillieres. — How did it come 
there? you will ask. That is what the authori- 
ties of Lausanne investigated, and I will tell 
you now what they discovered. 

“ In 1888, that small villa was rented by a 
young French couple — Monsieur and Madame 
Martin — that is what they called themselves. 
They had no friends in Lausanne — they went 
nowhere — they lived quietly with themselves 
in that house. For about one year they lived 


PARTNERS THREE 189 

there; then, one evening, as they were out on 
the lake in a boat, that boat capsized, and they 
were drowned. There was no family — no friends 
— to bury them. That was done by the authori- 
ties. — Monsieur, it has now been proved, with- 
out doubt, that those unfortunate people, who 
called themselves Monsieur and Madame Martin, 
were in reality Monsieur Le Vicomte de Cail- 
lieres and Madame La Comtesse de La Brize. 
That was where they lived, in their hiding — 
that was how they came to death.” 

The lawyer hushed his voice as he reached 
this declaration, and spoke in a whisper that 
was quite dramatic. He was leaning slightly 
across the table, staring through his glasses at 
the Doctor with wide-open eyes. The Doctor 
had grown very pale and followed the words 
with motionless attention. I sat breathless and 
petrified, in dread suspense of what was coming. 
The clock on the mantel ticked loudly, and you 
could have heard a pin drop, as we waited for 
the lawyer to go on. 

“ Monsieur, that young couple brought with 
them, to this villa, a child — a little girl, who was 
less than three years old. The Swiss woman who 
was nurse to that child, when the accident hap- 
pened, was Therese Bonnet. She took that 
child to her cottage — there was no one else to 
care for it — and she called that child her niece. 
— Monsieur, that girl of whom we spoke, who 


190 PARTNERS THREE 

now lives with you, it is the one for whom we 
make this search. She is the only living de- 
scendant and sole heir of one of the great fami- 
lies of France. Her true name is Claire An- 
toinette Amedee de La Brize.” 

That was the thunderbolt. After it had 
fallen, the Doctor sat there for some time with- 
out moving a muscle, like a man in a daze. The 
lawyer folded his arms, settled himself, and 
waited. He had delivered himself of a sensa- 
tion — his great mission was accomplished, and 
he was satisfied with self-importance. The facts 
spoke for themselves. He was in no hurry to 
trouble the effect. 

The Doctor put his hand to his eyes, and 
rubbed them slowly. He studied the floor for 
a moment, lost in his thoughts, then he raised 
himself with a deep sigh, lifted his head, smiled 
faintly, and glanced over at me. 

“ Well, Pie,” he said, with a half-laugh of 
cheerfulness, “ that’s quite a surprise — isn’t it? 
We didn’t expect a horse of that colour! — Claire 
Antoinette Amedee de La Brize! — Suppose I 
call her 4 Amedee,’ and you can take 4 Claire ’ ? 
— That ought to about do it — eh? ” 

The lawyer rose with a frown and picked up 
his gloves, which he had placed on the table. 
The Doctor rose likewise, and turned to him. 

6i Mr. Du Bois,” he said, 44 1 appreciate your 
courtesy in confiding to me all this information. 


PARTNERS THREE 191 

Most lawyers in your place, I think, would have 
used up a bag of tricks and several bundles of 
red tape, before they came to the point.” 

The lawyer drew his heels together and ac- 
knowledged the compliment politely with a little 
bow. 

“ I am quite sure,” he said, “ that I have 
made no mistake. It will be very easy to es- 
tablish the identity of Mademoiselle.” 

“You will let us know, I suppose, at your 
convenience, the details concerning the inheri- 
tance and the necessary formalities. — You said 
that Antoinette is the only living descendant. 
What did you mean by that ? ” 

“ Monsieur, the Comte de La Brize died in 
1894. Mademoiselle Antoinette was his first 
and only child. She was less than two years old 
when her mother, the Comtesse, took her away. 
That great grief affected the Comte’s health 
very much. He turned his back on society — he 
did not marry again — he did not ask a divorce 
— he died a broken man, thinking always of his 
wife, and that little girl.” 

“ Then,” said the Doctor, “ I suppose it is 
simply a question of establishing Antoinette’s 
identity in a legal way, and turning over the 
inheritance. — Do you care to say anything 
about the size of the estate? — Antoinette might 
like to know.” 

“ It is quite large — two or three million 


i 9 2 PARTNERS THREE 

francs, perhaps. It may be more — I cannot say 
precisely.” 

“ Will it be necessary for Antoinette to go 
to France, or could the formalities be arranged 
here? 99 

The lawyer paused and eyed the Doctor with 
an expression of grieved surprise. The question 
seemed to him extraordinary. He showed this 
by the condescending dignity with which he 
replied. 

“ Mademoiselle will, of course, return to her 
home, and occupy that place in the world to 
which she is entitled.” 

The Doctor flashed a look at him, controlled 
himself, gazed into space, and began moving 
about nervously. He came back to the lawyer 
and halted, as if about to speak, but only con- 
tinued staring at the floor. 

“ Monsieur,” observed the lawyer, still sur- 
prised and condescending, “ it could not be you 
would think otherwise? — As soon as I, myself, 
have had the pleasure of seeing Mademoiselle, I 
will send at once a cable to Madame La Com- 
tesse, and she will desire me, I am sure, to ar- 
range for the return of Mademoiselle, on the 
next ship for France.” 

“Madame La Comtesse? Who is she?” de- 
manded the Doctor, lifting his head with a 
touch of fierceness. 

“ La Comtesse de La Brize — the grandmother 


PARTNERS THREE 193 

of Mademoiselle. — Did I not tell that? It is 
the grandmother who makes this search. For 
three months now, she thinks only of that.” 

The Doctor drew in a deep breath, glared full 
at the lawyer, then turned away without a word, 
and began pacing the floor again. I felt the an- 
guish that was in him — the meaning of it all 
was hopelessly plain. Tony — our Tony — the 
little girl who had become his very own — to go 
out of his life forever — claimed and taken — 
into another world! 

“ Monsieur,” said the lawyer, in a more con- 
ciliatory tone, as he beheld the Doctor’s distress, 
“ I am sure that the Comtesse will have much 
gratitude for you. It will give me pleasure to 
tell her the kindness you showed for her grand- 
daughter. Mademoiselle, likewise, will tell her 
that. It was much to do, and I have no doubt, 
when the time comes, you will find yourself gen- 
erously recompensed. In any case, as soon as I 
have the pleasure of speaking with Mademoi- 
selle, that reward of $500.00 is at your dis- 
posal.” 

The Doctor was paying no attention to these 
words. He hardly heard them. But, as the 
lawyer finished, he seemed to awaken suddenly 
to the meaning of what had been said, and broke 
out with a roar of indignation. 

“ Enough of that dribble ! What do you take 
me for? I’m not a pauper, or a beggar! The 


194 PARTNERS THREE 

Comtesse de La Brize has nothing to do with 
me. Let her keep her money and her grati- 
tude ! 55 

“ But, Monsieur, the reward ” 

“ Hang the reward ! The Comtesse can keep 
it, with my compliments, or you can give it to 
yourself! Don’t mention it again to me.” 

“ But you said ” 

“Whatever I said, was a little joke. I’m 
sorry if you haven’t wit enough to appreciate 
it.” 

The lawyer stiffened himself at this rebuff. 
The Doctor went on without heeding him. 

“ You’ve found Mademoiselle, and if you 
choose to wait here, you can see her and talk 
to her. She belongs to a great family — she 
has a home and a grandmother waiting for her 
in France. You wish to make arrangements to 
take her back there, as soon as possible. Very 
well — that’s all perfectly natural and proper. 
I have no desire to interfere with your arrange- 
ments. There is no further responsibility for 
me — that’s all ended now. The rest concerns 
only Mademoiselle and her family. I’m out of 
it! I have nothing more to say!” 

He glanced around, a little wildly, drew him- 
self together, and walked straight out the door 
into his own room. 


CHAPTER XVI 

T ONY came tripping in, a few min- 
utes later, with rosy cheeks and 
bright eyes, carrying an armful of 
paper bundles. When she found 
who was there and saw the expression on my 
face, she stopped short and gave a frightened 
look about, in search of the Doctor. 

The lawyer rose and bowed to her, with great 
politeness. “ Mademoiselle,” he said, “ 1 have 
great pleasure in meeting you. I have the hon- 
our to bear you some happy news, which will 
cause you much astonishment. — Will you permit 
that I ask you to be seated? ” 

She stared at him with wide-open eyes, then 
dropped her parcels on the table and slunk into 
a chair. The lawyer seated himself opposite 
her and, modulating his voice to a quiet, defer- 
ential, almost fatherly, tone, he repeated the 
main facts of the story. 

I do not suppose it has fallen to the lot of 
many people in this world to experience such 
sensations as Tony must have had at that mo- 
ment. It’s very hard to imagine yourself in 
her place, or to know what you would feel. 
She did not ask a question — she did not move 
a muscle — she simply sat and listened, with 
i95 


196 PARTNERS THREE 

eyes strained wide, her face growing more and 
more pale. 

At the conclusion of his narrative, the law- 
yer suggested that it would give him and Ma- 
dame Du Bois great pleasure to have Ma- 
demoiselle as their guest, for a few days, until 
arrangements were completed for her return 
to France. When Tony heard this, she got up 
and turned to me, in a helpless, pitiful way. 

“ Pie,” she said, in a low, choking voice, “ I 
— where’s the Doctor? ” 

I motioned to the door which the Doctor had 
closed behind him. “ In there,” I said. 

She looked at the door a moment and hesi- 
tated, in complete bewilderment. Then she came 
to me, seized my hand impulsively, and pressed 
it in both hers. 

“ Pie,” she said, with breathless, quivering 
intensity, “ I can’t understand, — Tell me — 
You don’t suppose — The Doctor, he can’t 
really think that I’d go away and leave him? — 
He won’t make me go away? Tell me — Tell 
me — ” 

She looked at me searchingly, full in the eyes. 
The words she uttered were a cry of the heart — 
a plaintive appeal from its very depths. — How 
I blessed her for them! I wanted to tell her — 
I wanted to say something — something in be- 
half of the Doctor that would give her a clue 
to the agony that had taken him to his room. 
There were no words for it, and it wasn’t for 


PARTNERS THREE 197 

me to seek them. Tears struggled to my eyes. 
I tried to say her name, but my voice choked. 
— I simply hung my head and answered the 
tight squeeze of her hand. That was the best 
I could do. — It was the lawyer who broke the 
silence. 

u Mademoiselle,” said he, “ if you will per- 
mit me to explain. I have had a long talk, just 
now, with the Doctor Joyce. So soon as he 
heard the news which I have brought, he does 
not wish it that you should remain here longer, 
in this place. It is not proper that you 
remain here now — even one day. Madame La 
Comtesse, your grandmother, — think what her 
feelings would be, if I tell her that I find you 
and I leave you to share the same apartment 
with two men! A jeune fille of France — of the 
nobility — consider yourself — that cannot be! 
Madame La Comtesse would be outraged with 
me. The Doctor Joyce, he understands that. 
It cannot be otherwise. It is no longer for him 
to say what you shall do, now. It is your fam- 
ily, whom I have the honour to represent. The 
Doctor Joyce, he permits me to make with you 
those arrangements which are convenable .” 

Tony’s hand trembled and grew cold in mine. 
Suddenly she drew it away and hurried over to 
the Doctor’s door. She knocked on it gently 
and called his name, in a forlorn, hunted way. 
In a moment, the door opened and the Doctor 
appeared on the threshold. No wonder that 


x 9 8 PARTNERS THREE 

Tony tottered back a little, as she beheld him. 
His appearance was so strange — it was hard to 
believe him the same man who had joked with 
us, an hour before. His face was ashen white 
and seemed contorted, and there was a kind of 
strain and glitter in his eye, which was ghastly. 
When he spoke, his voice sounded husky and 
deadened, with hardly a vestige of his own self 
in it. 

“Well, Tony,” he said, with a pitiful effort 

to smile, “ you’ve heard the great news ” 

<fi Don’t ! don’t ! ” cried Tony. “ I’m not go- 
ing away! — I’m not going to leave you! — No 
matter what you say ! ” 

“ Tut — tut.” He was attempting to be play- 
ful, but his voice betrayed him woefully. “ You 
mustn’t talk nonsense. — You remember our con- 
tract? — I said I’d do the best I could, until we 
found a better home for you. It’s come to you, 
now. You’re a very lucky girl. You’ll soon be 
a great lady, and I hope you’ll be so happy that 
before long you’ll smile at our troubles together 
as a funny old dream.” 

Tony went to him softly, and touched his arm. 
“ I’m not going,” she said. “ I don’t care what 
I am. — I’d rather stay with you — and Pie.” 

6 My dear child,” said the Doctor, “ that’s 
very sweet of you. Pie and I both appreciate it 
and thank you. — You mustn’t bother your head 
about us any more. You don’t belong to us. 


PARTNERS THREE 199 

You’ve got your own family and your own 
home. — Your grandmother is waiting to take 
you in her arms. She’ll love you just as much 
as we do — and you’ll have a beautiful, brilliant 
life. Think about that. — If your grandmother 
scolds you for the way I’ve brought you up, 
tell her I’m a foolish old bachelor, with odd 
ideas, but I did the best I could.” 

Tony began to cry. She dropped her head 
and mopped her eyes mechanically. 

“ Mr. Du Bois is a very wise and kind-hearted 
gentleman,” the Doctor went on. “ He knows 
best what arrangements to make for you. 
He’s acting in behalf of your family, and from 
now on, you know, it’s your duty to consider 
their wishes.” 

Mr. Du Bois, who had been listening in dis- 
creet and becoming silence, bowed his approval. 
It seemed as if there were nothing else for Tony 
to do but accede to his wishes. She gave a 
shrinking glance at the lawyer, then turned her 
tear-stained eyes to the Doctor with helpless 
appeal. 

“ He wants me to go with him to-day — now 
— and stay with his wife, until they send me 
across the ocean. — Is that what you wish, too? 
— Tell me — Do you wish it? ” 

This was almost more than the Doctor could 
bear. His lips twitched, and his whole body 
seemed a-tremble. He nerved himself to meet 


200 PARTNERS THREE 

Tony’s gaze, he made an effort to speak, but 
swallowed his words instead and gave a fleeting 
look at the lawyer. Then he stared into space 
and nodded his head slowly. There was a long 
pause. 

“Who would get your supper for you?” 
asked Tony, in a low, tremulous voice. “ Who’d 
make your coffee in the morning? ” 

“ Oh, never you mind about us,” said the Doc- 
tor, trying to find a reassuring tone. “ We’ll 
manage to get along. Mrs. Jowls will look 
after us.” ' 

“Mrs. Jowls!” Tony lifted her head with 
contempt. Her nostrils quivered, and her eyes 
flashed. She turned to the lawyer with an air 
of determination and self-possession. 

“ I will not go with you,” she said. “ You 
may present my respects to my grandmother. 
— Tell her I’m very glad to know I have a 
grandmother. — I hope she’ll like me, and I don’t 
want to hurt her feelings. I don’t know her 
yet, but I hope I shall, some day, and I want 
very much to have her love me. — Tell her not 
to be angry with me — I don’t wish to seem un- 
dutiful or ungrateful, but I can not go to her 
now. Tell her there are — some reasons which 
I can not explain — say — some friends — who’ve 
done so much for me that I — that I couldn’t pos- 
sibly leave them now ! ” 

“ But, Mademoiselle ” — protested the lawyer. 


PARTNERS THREE 201 


The Doctor turned and looked at her with 
wide-open, gleaming eyes. 

“ I’m not going away, no matter what you 
say to me! This is where I belong, now, and 
nobody can take me off to France, if I don’t 
wish it! I won’t go there to live — that is, un- 
less — Doctor Joyce — and Pie — would like to 
live there, too.” 

“ But, Mademoiselle,” expostulated the law- 
yer, “ this is quite impossible ! — I can not ac- 
cept such a message! — You do not know what 
you are saying ! ” 

“ I do,” said Tony, with resolution. 

The lawyer gave a shrug of impatience at 
what appeared to him, no doubt, mere childish 
absurdity. He turned to the Doctor. 

“ Monsieur,” he said, “ I appeal to you. Will 
you have the kindness to tell Mademoiselle that 
it is for me to have charge of her, and it is best 
I take her now with me to Madame Du Bois.” 

“ Don’t send me away ! — Please don’t ! ” 
pleaded Tony, as the Doctor seemed to hesitate. 

He looked at her — oh, so tenderly ! “ I’d 

never do that, Tony,” he said, huskily. “ If 
you want to stay here a while longer, why — 
you’re more than welcome. We’re all kind of 
upset, just now, and I guess it’ll take us a little 
time to get our bearings.” 

“ But, Monsieur, one moment ” put in 

the lawyer. 


202 PARTNERS THREE 

The Doctor turned on him with a look of 
command which silenced him instantly. “ These 
are matters of sentiment, Mr. Du Bois, and it’s 
of no consequence whether you understand them. 
— Mademoiselle has had quite a shock to-day — 
a big shock. Until she gets used to it, she 
prefers to remain here with — with those who love 
her. That’s very simple, and it settles things 
for the present, as far as you are concerned.” 

“ But, Monsieur ” 

“ Mademoiselle has given you a message to 
the Countess. You can send it, and when you 
have received an answer, we’ll be pleased to hear 
what the Countess has to say. In the meantime, 
I accept the responsibility of keeping Made- 
moiselle under my protection.” 

The lawyer glanced about and wavered, then, 
taking on an air of offended dignity, he drew 
himself up stiffly, picked up his hat and stick, 
and moved toward the door. There he turned. 

“ I shall make a report of the circumstances 
to Madame La Comtesse, and await her instruc- 
tions. — Mademoiselle — Messieurs •” He 

bowed, with formal politeness, and went out. 

Tony, meanwhile, had slunk out of sight in 
the alcove. She had dropped into a chair, in 
the corner, and was sobbing as if her heart 
would break. 


CHAPTER XVII 


T ONY’S grandmother, the Comtesse 
de La Brize, notified the lawyer, in 
answer to his cablegram, that she 
would sail for America on the 
steamer which left France at the end of that 
week. Mr. Du Bois communicated this informa- 
tion in a letter to Tony. In it was enclosed a 
check for $500.00 which he said she might find 
convenient for her present needs. In the mean- 
time, until the arrival of La Comtesse, he had 
the honour of placing himself entirely at her 
disposal. There matters rested. 

It is very difficult to give anything like a 
true picture of the two weeks that followed. In 
thinking over that period, as I have done many 
times, I can not help associating my impressions 
with those that prevail in a household where 
a death has occurred. We did the usual things, 
in much the usual way. We talked and ate 
and joked and went on with our life, apparently, 
much as we had always done. That is, we tried 
to make it seem the same, but oh! what a dif- 
ference! It was as if there were a coffin present 
in an adjoining room. We seldom mentioned it, 
203 


204 PARTNERS THREE 

we tried to ignore it, but it was always there, 
dominating every thought, giving a strangeness 
to every simple word. 

It is curious how things go and, as I have 
observed before, real happenings often seem ab- 
surdly illogical and implausible. There was 
Tony, a girl to whom the greatest good fortune 
had come, all at once, like a gift of the gods. 
She was rich, she was noble and, with her youth 
and beauty, every worldly happiness was spread 
out before her. It was like a Cinderella story, 
the dream of every poor girl, come really and 
beautifully true. She should have danced and 
sung, with joy, and tripped away on the first 
steamer to a realisation of the world’s delights. 
And the Doctor and I, who loved her better 
than ourselves, we ought to have shared her 
happiness and wished her joy with glowing 
hearts. That is what you would expect — what 
should have been — but in reality, as I have said, 
it seemed as if we were all in the hush of some 
awful calamity. 

It seemed as if an abyss, in some mysterious 
way, had opened up between us. It kept us all 
apart. It seemed as if we didn’t know one 
another. We couldn’t trust one another, and 
depend on one another, as we used to. We were 
all thinking and feeling for ourselves, and the 
thoughts were too deep for utterance. This 


PARTNERS THREE 205 

situation was ghastly, almost unbearable. I 
was constantly expecting the Doctor or Tony 
to give a shriek or make some wild outburst that 
would end it, somehow. It didn’t seem possible 
that those two, after what they had been to 
each other — what they were to each other — 
could continue seeing each other, talking to 
each other, being near each other, day after 
day, and be as separate as strangers. 

Tony was not like other girls, and the Doctor 
was not like other men. That was at the bottom 
of it all. I thought I knew — something told 
me — I felt sure of it. She was yearning to be 
in his arms and stay there, forever, and he — he 
would have given his soul to have her there, if 
it only could be. But with his character, it 
could not. Now, more than ever, he was bound 
to deny himself the very thought of such a 
possibility. Tony had become an heiress, a 
member .of a great family, so anything she did 
for his happiness — the simplest acts of kind- 
ness — would appear as self-sacrifice. It was 
hard enough for him to accept the smallest sacri- 
five from any one, but to ask for the greatest 
of all, from the one that was nearest and 
dearest — from her who owed him everything — 
that was something I realised Doctor Joyce 
would never do. 

So my dream was shattered — my beautiful, 


206 PARTNERS THREE 


cherished dream. It came to an end with the 
good news the lawyer brought. The good news ! 
It was with us now, and we moved about in the 
icy hush of that invisible something which was 
lying in the next room. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


I HAVE told about George’s love affair 
with Florence De Witt and the manner of 
its abrupt ending. Since then, it seemed 
to me, there had been a slight and grad- 
ual change in George’s behaviour toward Tony. 
It is not easy to specify just what it was that 
gave rise to this impression. There was some- 
thing in the way he looked at her — a kind of 
nervousness and constraint in his manner, when 
they talked together — he was less at his ease in 
her presence. The indications, as I have said, 
were very slight, but they persisted, and grew 
more noticeable, as time went on. It happened, 
too, quite frequently, that George would come 
to our apartment early in the day, so that when 
Tony started out to make her purchases, he 
would be on hand and ready with some excuse 
for accompanying her. I had imagined once 
before, in the early days, that George was in 
love with Tony, and the mistake had made me 
feel very foolish. I tried to persuade myself 
now that this was only a repetition of the same 
foolishness, but I was unable to get rid of mis- 
givings. 

The revelation concerning Tony’s parentage 
207 


208 PARTNERS THREE 


produced a tremendous effect upon George. So 
it did upon Mrs. Jowls. That silly woman’s 
change of front towards Tony was really com- 
ical. Until then, she had insisted on treating 
Tony with condescension and resentment, as a 
servant and a peasant girl, putting on airs 
above her station. Now she bowed and scraped 
before her, and overwhelmed her with servile 
attentions, as if she were a queen. She even 
went so far as to protest that she had suspected 
something of the sort, all along. It was brazen 
hypocrisy — enough to disgust any one — but 
Mrs. Jowls carried it off with a gushing air of 
sincerity. She insisted, at once, that Tony 
could not be allowed to do any more menial 
work. A great lady of title, an heiress with 
millions, made to wash dishes and sweep the 
floors ! Whoever heard of such a thing ! What 
were people thinking of! If Doctor Joyce was 
that kind of a man — well, the less said the bet- 
ter ! She would not permit such an outrage — at 
least, not under her roof. She would rather do 
the work, herself, until proper arrangements 
could be made. Jane could help her, and so 
forth. But anything was better than that Tony 
should be sub j ected to indignity and humiliation. 
This was Mrs. Jowls’s attitude. It was on a 
par with her previous meanness and meddling — 
just about what one would expect from a woman 
of that kind. Under other circumstances, it 


PARTNERS THREE 209 

might have seemed a fine joke to Tony and 
furnished the occasion for hearty laughter, 
but Tony’s state of mind was not in tune for 
that, just now. She showed as much magnani- 
mity as she could, by treating Mrs. Jowls po- 
litely, but she put a quick stop to such talk, and 
sent her about her business. 

The way George received the news was curi- 
ous. He grew very pale, then he flushed all 
over, muttered to himself, drew deep breaths, 
and walked about the room in great agitation. 
He threw himself dejectedly into a chair, seized 
his head in his hands, and summed up his feel- 
ings by exclaiming: 

“ J ust my luck ! ” 

He appeared to regard the news as a personal 
calamity. To hear him talk, you might have 
imagined that he was the only one concerned 
in the matter — that Providence had singled him 
out unjustly as the victim of a crushing blow. 

In the days that followed, he kept confiding 
to the Doctor and me, separately or together, 
how deep his love for Tony was, and what it 
all meant to him. He spent most of his time in 
our apartment, and whenever Tony was out of 
hearing, he seemed possessed to plunge in and 
talk about her, saying the same things over and 
over again. If Tony was there, he no longer 
met her gaze or addressed her frankly, but kept 


2io PARTNERS THREE 


stealing looks at her, in a reproachful, hopeless 
way, and hardly opened his mouth. 

It must have caused the Doctor a great effort 
to endure with patience those self-pitying, love- 
sick confidences that George persisted in mak- 
ing him. I remembered how George had gone 
on in the same way about Florence De Witt. It 
had seemed indelicate and absurd enough in that 
case, but to couple his feelings with Tony, as 
he dared to do now, was intolerable presump- 
tion. Who was George, anyhow, and what did 
his shallow, selfish feelings amount to? What 
did the loss of Tony mean to him that he could 
prate about it so? As compared to the still 
depths of the Doctor’s affection, George’s sen- 
timents were a mere ripple on the surface. What 
did he know about Tony? What had she 
ever been to him? What had he ever done 
for her that entitled him to curse his fate? 
Had he any notion of what the loss of Tony 
might mean to the Do-ctor — or even to me? Ap- 
parently not, or in common decency he would 
have kept silent about himself. The Doctor 
gave George no hint of his own feelings. He 
allowed him to talk as much as he liked and 
heard him out patiently, with an air of under- 
standing and sympathy. It was enough for 
me to follow the Doctor’s example, so when 
George talked to me alone, as he did frequently, 


PARTNERS THREE 211 


I listened and nodded my head, without giving 
him any suspicion of my real thoughts. 

The days dragged on in this way and nothing 
was said that really mattered. Finally, the 
French steamer, La T'ouraine, arrived. We 
were just, sitting down to supper, that Friday 
evening, when Mrs. Jowls brought up word that 
the steamer had been sighted. The next morn- 
ing, a note came by messenger for Tony. It 
was from Mr. Du Bois notifying her that 
Madame La Comtesse de La Brize had arrived 
safely in New York and would honour her with 
a visit before noon. 


CHAPTER XIX 


jL T about eleven o’clock, the Doctor, 
Tony, George and I were in the 
/ ■ ' % sitting-room, trying to talk natu- 
re jRl. rally to one another, when there 
came a knock on the hall door. Without wait- 
ing for it to be opened, Mrs. Jowls ushered in 
the Comtesse de La Brize, followed by Mr. 
Du Bois. We had all risen at the sound of the 
knock and Tony had taken a few steps toward 
the door, when her grandmother entered the 
sitting-room. 

The lady who appeared before us was not in 
the least like what I had expected. I had never 
seen a titled foreigner before, and my notions 
about the appearance of such people were a 
trifle vague. From the way Mr. Du Bois had 
referred to 44 Madame La Comtesse,” my imag- 
ination had conjured up a picture of something 
very grand and imposing. I was prepared to 
see a tall and wizened person with a haughty 
countenance, gorgeously attired. 

Tony’s grandmother did not correspond to 
this picture in any particular. She was a 
sweet-looking lady, simple and unassuming. 
There was nothing in her appearance to dis- 
212 


PARTNERS THREE 213 

tinguish her in any way from the women you 
can see going into the shops on Sixth Avenue. 
She was of medium height, with a figure in- 
clined to be plump. Her silver grey hair, drawn 
up neatly under a black bonnet, was the only 
thing about her that suggested she was old. She 
had a very attractive face, with a clear, warm 
complexion, and large black eyes that were 
bright and soft and intelligent. There was 
nothing haughty in her manner — not even the 
slightest sign of self-consciousness — as she en- 
tered the room and stood in the face of its occu- 
pants, who were all strangers to her. On the 
contrary, she seemed, from the first instant, 
singularly natural and sympathetic. You felt 
instinctively that she was nice and good and 
warm-hearted. 

She paused, as she entered, gave one swift 
glance about the room, then fixed her eyes on 
Tony. She stood and gazed at her long and 
searchingly. Suddenly a little cry escaped her 
and her face lighted up with a gush of love and 
emotion. 

“ C’est toi ! 99 she cried, with a choke in her 
voice. “ Ma pauvre cherie! Ma petite Toir 

nette! Viens! viens! 99 She opened her arms 

for Tony to come. 

And poor Tony, who for two weeks had been 
nerving herself for the dreadful ordeal — who, 
since the opening of the hall door, had shrunk 


214 PARTNERS THREE 

back a little, and stood her ground, white as 
a sheet, trembling from head to foot, with a 
kind of terrorised expression on her face — 
Tony answered her call, impulsively, and went 
into her grandmother’s arms. Then she gave 
way completely. She let her head fall on the 
dear lady’s shoulder, and shook and shook with 
silent sobbing. Tears started to the Comtesse’s 
eyes and trickled down, as she clasped her tight 
and pressed her cheek with comforting love 
against Tony’s. She stroked and petted the 
sobbing girl, repeating all the while endearing 
little expressions that went straight to the 
heart. 

“ Pauvre petite — Pauvre cherie — c’est fa — 
laisse colder tes larmes — c y est moi — ta vielle 
nannan , qui t'ai trouvee enfin! Pauvre mign- 
onnel C’est bien — cest bien — je t'aime — je 
faime — ma petite Toinette! mon petit bebe! 99 

Not one of us had stirred or spoken. We 
stood as we were, deeply moved and awed by 
this touching scene, which was somehow! 
strangely different — infinitely sadder and 
sweeter — than anything we had been led to 
expect. 

It did not take Tony long to regain her self- 
control. Her grandmother led her to the sofa 
and sat down beside her, fondling her hand 
and beaming love upon her, in a tender, moth- 
erly way. 


PARTNERS THREE 215 

“ Aren’t you a naughty girl,” she crooned, 
in French, “ to say that you wouldn’t come to 
me? You didn’t care a straw about your 
old grandmother — did you? You were afraid 
I’d eat you up, I suppose ! Poor little darling ! 
I don’t blame you a bit ! But your old nannan 
had to come and see you — as quick as she could 
— she couldn’t help herself, you know. She 
would have trotted all the way around the 
globe for that. So you see, here I am, and 
I’m not such a dreadful old goblin after all — 
am I now? ” 

Tony looked at her, with wistful, tear-stained 
eyes, shook her head slowly, and tried to smile. 
The Comtesse patted her hand, lovingly. 

66 No, I’m not. I’m just your poor old 
lonely nannan who’s got nothing else left in 
this world to love but you. We used to be great 
friends, you know, before you went away. You 
weren’t two years old, but you used to call 
me fi nannan ’ and make me do whatever you 
wanted. You can’t remember that, but here 
you are, now, treating me just the same way 
again. Well, I don’t mind. I’m happy and 
proud to find you just as you are ! — You’ve got 
a sweet, intelligent face, and you’re very pretty, 
too, — poor dear! — You look like your father, 
and you look like me! I’d have known you in 
a minute, anywhere. You’re a de La Brize all 
over ! ” 


216 PARTNERS THREE 

It was perfectly true. As the two sat there 
together, the resemblance between them was as- 
tonishing. The same large, soft, alert eyes, the 
same wide mouths with dimpled corners — the 
chin, the ears, and the contour of the two faces 
essentially the same. No one who saw them 
could doubt for a moment that the same blood 
flowed in their veins. 

Up to this time, the Comtesse had paid no 
attention to any one in the room, except Tony. 
She was all absorbed in one object, and the 
room might just as well have been empty, as 
far as she was concerned. Now, however, she 
turned and looked about until her eyes singled 
out the Doctor. She rose from the sofa and, 
advancing a little, she addressed him, in a sim- 
ple, unaffected way that was peculiarly charm- 
ing. 

“ Monsieur she began, apologetically, “ je 
ne parle pas anglais — Vous entendez le fran- 
$ais? ” 

“ Out, Madame replied the Doctor. 

Her face brightened, with joyful surprise, as 
she heard the voice and the accent. She spoke 
only French, and all the conversation that took 
place in her presence was in that language. As 
it is beyond me to recall all that was said, lit- 
erally, I feel I can do better by putting the 
sense of it in English. 

“You are Doctor Joyce,” she said. “I’m 


PARTNERS THREE 217 

so glad to be able to talk to you. I have much 
to say. I can tell you now that I owe more to 
you than any other person alive. You have 
watched over my little girl and kept her safe, 
for all these years. I will be very frank with 
you. When I heard what you had done, I 
said to myself, that man must either be a mon- 
ster, or he is an angel of goodness. I look 
at you now, Monsieur, and that is enough. I 
have seen too many men — my eyes do not de- 
ceive me. You are not a monster. You have a 
big heart and you have done something that 
is very noble and very beautiful. You don’t 
mind my saying that? There are no words to 
express what is in my heart. We shall have a 
long talk together and you must tell me many 
things. Now, I only say how much I am your 
debtor, and I wish to be your friend.” 

She moved toward the Doctor and held out 
her hand to him. The Doctor took it, without 
speaking. It was plain to see that he was 
greatly moved. His eyes glistened, his lips 
twitched, and it was all he could do to keep 
control of himself. 


CHAPTER XX 


jA FTER the first few minutes, that 
day, the Comtesse did not give any 
/-Jk further expression to the senti- 
JL ^ ments that stirred her so deeply. 
With a sudden change of manner, she seemed 
to brush the whole question aside, for the time 
being. She talked about trifling things, asked 
laughable questions, chatted and joked with 
us all, a 5 if her presence there had no other 
significance than a visit to new acquaintances 
in a strange city. She made amusing observa- 
tions about the Custom Inspectors, her hotel, 
and various oddities of New York life that had 
already caught her attention. She was as 
bright and gay and entertaining as could be. 
She made sure she was not inconveniencing us, 
then dismissed Mr. Du Bois, after making an 
appointment with him for later in the day. She 
wanted to see Tony’s room and the kitchen and, 
after that, her eyes lighted on the models and 
paraphernalia in the alcove. When she learned 
that the Doctor was an inventor, she expressed 
surprise and interest and insisted on some ex- 
planations. Her attitude and remarks were so 
spontaneous and complimentary that no one 
218 


PARTNERS THREE 219 

could help being charmed by them. She was 
also polite enough to display a regard for 
George and me. She wanted to know our names, 
and what we did, and all about us. Her manner 
of doing this was such that she gave the im- 
pression of thinking us exceptionally interest- 
ing young men. She stayed in our apartment 
at least two hours and before she left, in spite 
of ourselves, it was evident that she had won 
our hearts completely. 

When the time came for her to go, she asked 
the Doctor’s permission to take Tony with her. 
She would like to have Tony lunch with her at 
the hotel — she would take good care of her and 
bring her back safely. She was so simple and 
sweet — as if she claimed no rights, but were 
asking a favour! 

Tony grew embarrassed and troubled, when 
she heard the request. For one thing, no doubt, 
she was thinking about our dinner. Who would 
get it ready for us, if she were not there? She 
shot a fleeting look at the Doctor, as if begging 
him to find some excuse. He had to ignore it, 
and without hesitation he assured the Com- 
tesse that if it pleased her to have Tony return 
to the apartment that afternoon, he would be 
happy to call for her at the hotel. He made 
it evident that, as far as he was concerned, the 
Comtesse’s wishes were supreme. 

Tony went to her room to put on her hat 


220 PARTNERS THREE 

and get ready. When she appeared again, a 
few minutes later, she had on her new dress 
and jacket and new light gloves. They gave 
her a fashionable, womanly look, that somehow 
seemed a little strange. It was one of those mo- 
ments, no doubt, when trifling impressions are 
unduly magnified. We, who knew Tony so well, 
were trying, unconsciously, to see her in a new 
light, so a simple change of clothes was enough 
to suggest some deep and subtle transforma- 
tion. She was still very pale and there was a 
sort of set expression in her face, as she stood 
ready to go. She had not uttered a word to 
give a clue to her thoughts, but there was a 
strained, excited look about her eyes. A big 
struggle was going on within her and she was 
nerving herself to meet it with determina- 
tion. 

After a moment of gracious leave-taking, on 
the part of the Comtesse, Tony went out with 
her, quietly and obediently, and we three men 
were left alone. It was some time before a 
word was spoken. The Doctor turned to the 
fireplace and busied himself with the clock on 
the mantel — the glass door of the clock was 
sprung. George threw himself in a chair by 
the window and leaned his head on his hands. 

The room seemed suddenly to have changed 
its aspect. There was something shabby, for- 
lorn and desolate about the place which I had 


PARTNERS THREE 221 


not noticed before. The Doctor turned and 
gazed at me in a vacant, resigned way. He 
felt it, too. There was no Tony there to trip 
in and out of the kitchen, humming some tune, 
shedding her brightness on everything. It was 
almost dinner time and there was no one there 
even to get dinner for us. Only three men 
were left, and what were they good for? — Tony 
was lunching at the Holland House with her 
grandmother. That was all. But it was the 
beginning of the end. 

Mrs. Jowls came up shortly and insisted on 
looking after our dinner for us. She got Jane 
to help her and, after a good deal of bustle 
and commotion, they set the table, placed the 
food upon it and, with gushing apologies from 
Mrs. Jowls, hurried off to attend to their own 
affairs. 

“ She won’t come back here again ! ” said 
George, after we were seated at the table and 
had begun eating. He referred, of course, to 
Tony — not Mrs. Jowls. “ She’s gone to the 
Holland House, and her grandmother will keep 
her there. They’ll send somebody down here 
this afternoon for her things — you see if they 
don’t.” 

“ If the Comtesse wishes it that way,” an- 
swered the Doctor, quietly, “ there’s no reason 
for Tony to stay here.” 

“ She could, if she wanted to,” said George. 


222 PARTNERS THREE 


“ Suppose she didn’t wish to go to France? She 
might rather stay in New York. She has a 
right to do as she likes — hasn’t she? She’d 
get her inheritance, just the same ! ” 

“ That has nothing to do with it,” said the 
Doctor. “ She has a family and she belongs to 
them. It’s nice for her to have such a sweet 
grandmother. She’s a lucky girl.” 

“ Doctor J oyce,” George spoke impressively, 
with emotion, “ it isn’t possible that you can 
want to see T'ony go away forever and settle 
down over there and marry one of those French 
whipper-snappers. They’re not fit to be in 
the same room with her. Do you think they’ll 
make her happy? Is that what she deserves? 
It’s a crime and a shame — for a girl like that! 
I can’t stand it! I’m not going to! Tony’s 
the finest girl in the world. She’s everything 
to me. I understand her and appreciate her, a 
hundred times better than any Frenchman ever 
could, and I’d make her a hundred times more 
happy. You know it’s true. You know me and 
you know how I feel. We both owe an awful 
lot to you — we’ll never forget it — either of 
us. Wouldn’t you rather see us both happy 
and settled down, right here in New York, where 
we’d go on seeing one another and being to- 
gether, just the way we have been? ” 

The Doctor looked hard at George and 
seemed on the point of making a feeling reply. 


PARTNERS THREE 223 

But he checked himself and paused and looked 
down. 

“ I’ve nothing to do with that,” he muttered, 
in a low, expressionless voice. 

“ I think you have ! ” said George, his emo- 
tion continuing. “ You can make a lot of 
difference, if you wish to. I’m sure you can! ” 

The Doctor lifted his eyes, rather sternly. 
His face had lost its colour. 

“ What do you mean, George? ” 

“ I’ve seen a lot of Tony,” went on George. 
“ — Not so much as you, perhaps — but my rela- 
tions with her have been different — you know 
what I mean — and I — well, I understand her 
nature better than any one — I know just how 
she feels ” 

The Doctor made a movement, but restrained 
himself. “ Very well,” he said. “ Go on. You 
know how she feels.” 

“ She thinks the world and all of you. She 
owes you everything. There’s nothing she 
wouldn’t do for you, if you ask it, no matter 
what stood in the way. She’s the most loyal 
and devoted girl that ever lived. I know what 
I’m saying. If you told her you didn’t want 
her to go — if you begged her to stay here with 
you — she’d stay. That’s the way she feels. All 
the money in the world wouldn’t make any dif- 
ference! ” 

“ Money has nothing to do with it. If Tony’s 


224 PARTNERS THREE 

grandmother were a pauper, it would be just 
the same.” 

The Doctor spoke in the same low, even voice, 
but there was something dry and thick and un- 
natural in the sound of it. He w>as greatly 
agitated, beneath the surface, but he strived to 
keep it from George. 

“ Her money is the one thing that stands in 
my way ! ” broke out George. “ If it wasn’t 
for that, there’d be nothing to stop me from 
proposing to her — I’d do it to-day ! She could 
be perfectly sure, then, that I only wanted her 
for herself, alone — because I love her. You 
know that. I want her because she’s just Tony ! 
If she hadn’t a cent, I’d be the happiest man 
alive! I’m sure I’d win her — I know she cares. 
Everything was going my way. I might have 
proposed to her, weeks ago — I wanted to do it 
— I intended to, all along — even when I thought 
she was nothing but a peasant girl ! The only 
thing that held me back was that cursed af- 
fair with Florence De Witt. I wanted to give 
it time to blow over — I didn’t want Tony to 
imagine — I was fool enough, you know, to tell 
Tony a lot about Florence, when I thought I 
cared for her! — Now Tony is rich and it will 
look as if I’m after her money. She’ll think I 
ought to have proposed to her, before. She 
won’t believe me. That’s what I’m up against ! ” 

The Doctor looked down at his plate and ap- 


PARTNERS THREE 225 

peared to be occupied with his eating. He didn’t 
trust himself to make any comment. For a mo- 
ment or two, there was complete silence. George 
got up and went to the window. The Doctor 
kept his eyes on the table before him. He broke 
off a piece of bread and buttered it. George 
came back from the window toward him. 

“ Doctor Joyce,” he said, and his voice 
quavered, 66 will you do something for me? It’s 
the greatest favour I’ll ever ask. It means an 
awful lot to me. It’s the decisive moment of 
my life. — Will you do me this favour?” 

“ I’d do a good deal for you, George,” said 
the Doctor, in that same thick voice. 

“ I’m going to ask Tony to marry me. I’ve 
made up my mind. You know what my motives 
are. You know how I feel. If she’s willing to 
take me, I give you my word, I’ll do everything 
in the world to make her happy, as long as I 
live. And I’ll do everything I can to add to 
your happiness, too — to repay a part of all 
you’ve done for Tony and me. I swear you’ll 
never find us ungrateful. — You’re going to see 
Tony, this afternoon. Whether she stays with 
her grandmother, or comes back here, you’ll 
have a chance to talk to her. — Won’t you speak 
to her a little about me? — explain to her, I 
mean, why I’ve held back so long? — Say some- 
thing that will make her see that affair with 
Florence in the right light. It never amounted 


226 PARTNERS THREE 


to anything — it was only a silly infatuation — 
the kind of thing that every fellow is liable to 
go through, before he knows what love is. If 
you’d say a word to her about the money, too, 
— I don’t care a hang about it ! You know what 
I mean. You can fix everything for me, with 
just a few words. If you let her see that you 
approve of it — that it would make you happy 
to see us married — it will make all the differ- 
ence ! I can take care of the rest — I know some- 
thing about girls — I know how she feels — I’m 
sure of it ! ” 

The Doctor did not reply. He continued to 
look down, and his face wore a painful, set ex- 
pression. George looked at him anxiously, then 
he turned away a little and gave a passing 
glance at me. A flush mounted to his face and 
he appeared to grow self-conscious and embar- 
rassed. 

“ It’s asking a good deal of you, I know.” 

Still the Doctor said nothing. George waited 
a moment longer and the flush on his face grew 
deeper. He seemed crestfallen and irresolute. 

“Doctor Joyce,” he began, unsteadily, 
“ don’t you think I’m honest and sincere? — 
Don’t you believe in me? ” 

“ My boy ! what a question ! I haven’t a 
doubt of it.” 

“ Wouldn’t you like to see me married to 
Tony? ” 


PARTNERS THREE 227 

The Doctor took his eyes from George and 
looked down again. It cost him something to 
answer that question. But it was only for a 
second. 

“ If she loves you, George ” He spoke 

the words slowly and appeared to weigh them. 

“I think she does, sir, — I’m almost sure of 
it!” 

Suddenly and impulsively, with a big rush of 
generous emotion, the Doctor got up and held 
out his hand. 46 Then I hope you’ll get her, 
George, and make her happy ! — It’s the dearest 
wish I have in the world ! ” 

George grasped his hand and thanked him. 
He didn’t realise how much the Doctor’s words 
meant. He hadn’t a suspicion. But I under- 
stood. It was exquisitely beautiful and hor- 
ribly painful, too. 

The Doctor did not agree to plead George’s 
case with Tony. He couldn’t do that. But if 
Tony came to him — if she felt the need of con- 
sulting him, before giving her answer — he 
promised he would say all he could in George’s 
favour. 

George decided to make his proposal the 
following morning. He would come to our 
rooms first. If Tony was still at the Holland 
House, he would call on her there. He asked 
the Doctor to let her know of this intention, 
so that she might expect him. 


228 PARTNERS THREE 


We both wished him joy when he left us. He 
w T as excited, hopeful, almost jubilant, in antici- 
pation of the outcome. 

I couldn’t help thinking, as he went out, 
what a good-looking, well-bred, attractive fel- 
low George was. You never can be sure what 
is going on in a girl’s mind. George had been 
with her a good deal — more than ever, lately. 
There was something romantic, sentimental, 
and exaggerated, in all that he said or did. 
Those were just the qualities that might appeal 
very strongly. — Suppose it proved true, after 
all, that Tony was in love with him? 


CHAPTER XXI 


T ONY came back to us, that after- 
noon. She changed her clothes, 
put on her apron and set about 
preparing supper, just as if noth- 
ing had happened. It was evident from her 
appearance that she was going through an or- 
deal. All colour had left her face, her voice 
sounded jerky and tremulous, and there was a 
strained, feverish look in her eyes. 

What she and her grandmother had to say 
to each other, when they were alone, I do not 
know. She did not refer to it, and we refrained 
from asking her questions. Nor do I know 
what the Doctor had said to her when he went 
to the hotel. He had been gone from our rooms 
two hours, before he returned with Tony, and 
I gathered from some stray remarks that he 
had had a long talk with the Comtesse. Had 
he said anything to the Comtesse about George’s 
intentions? Had he mentioned the subject to 
Tony, on the way home? — There was no way 
of telling. It was not for me to be inquisitive 
— I could only wait and wonder. 

Our conversation, that evening, was of much 
the same sort as it had been for the past two 
229 


230 PARTNERS THREE 

weeks. Only it was more so. The words spoken 
were all on the surface — they meant nothing — 
they amounted to nothing. The questions that 
were uppermost in our minds — the thoughts 
and feelings that cried for utterance — were 
kept out of sight. 

Tony asked about our dinner and insisted on 
all the details. She tried to make fun of our 
predicament — three hungry men in their help- 
lessness, and the cook gone off on a spree. We 
were willing to make the most of the idea, but 
our merriment had a hollow sound. It was 
really pitiful. We talked a little about the lat- 
est experiments with the Leather Process, and 
Tony told us some bright remarks her grand- 
mother had made about the roller steam-ship 
invention. Then the Doctor read to us till 
bed-time. So we got through the evening and 
said good-night. 

I did not sleep a wink. I doubt if the Doc- 
tor or Tony did, either. I thought over every- 
thing that had happened, from the beginning, 
forwards and backwards, over and over again. 
What was the meaning of it all, and where was 
it to end — this wonderful, miraculous chain of 
events that began almost at Tony’s birth? Was 
there no purpose in it at all? — was it just a 
trick of Fate? — a series of accidents? Was it 
to end in somebody’s happiness, or only in misery 
for all concerned? It was a terrible tangle 


PARTNERS THREE 231 

now, and there seemed to be no way out of it 
that was acceptable or even endurable. 

What could Tony mean by coming back to 
our rooms, that way, and going on with her 
work, as if nothing had happened? She must 
have talked things all over with her grand- 
mother. They had been alone together for 
hours. If she was going with her grandmother, 
back to France, that must have been settled. 
Why, then, didn’t she say something about go- 
ing? That would only be fair to the Doctor. 
Tony couldn’t be unfair. But she had not said 
a word about it, nor given a hint that might 
imply it, in any way. She didn’t mean to go, 
then ! She had resolved to stay ! She had cer- 
tainly tried to give the impression that she ex- 
pected our life to go on as usual. Was it on 
account of the Doctor that she did this? — Or 
could it be for George? Was it possible that 
she had been in love with him, all along, and 
that was the explanation? She was waiting for 
him to ask her? — The poor Doctor! How could 
he stand it? Tony was the light and joy of his 
heart — the very breath of his life. It would 
be too cruel for her to forsake him and seek 
happiness with George! She couldn’t do that! 
Every instinct within me cried out against it. 
It was a thousand times better for her to go 
away to France — that we should never see her 
or hear from her again! That might be en- 


232 PARTNERS THREE 

dured. But to have her stay near us and give 
herself to George — no, no, I would rather see 
her dead ! 

So the feverish thoughts struggled in my 
brain, throughout the long night. I grew hot 
and cold, by turns — I shed tears of pity and 
cursed with indignation. Just as daylight be- 
gan to appear, I fell into a doze. 

It was later than usual when I got up. Tony 
had been busy in the kitchen for some time. 
She had made the fire and cooked the break- 
fast. Everything was ready and waiting, when 
I came in. 

Her appearance gave me a shock. She looked 
haggard and ill. I had never seen her like 
that before. Her eyes were dull and burn- 
ing, with hollows under them, and there were 
feverish spots on her cheeks. All my previous 
feelings were swallowed up in anxiety. I felt 
terribly to blame for allowing her to get up 
first, to make the fire and do the work. I told 
her how she looked, and asked if she was suffer- 
ing. She tried to make light of it — she hadn’t 
slept well — she had a little headache — but it 
would soon pass away. She begged me not to 
say anything about it. She tried to eat her 
breakfast, but was hardly able to swallow a 
mouthful. Once or twice, when we were not 
talking, she seemed to sink into a kind of daze. 
Each time, she came out of it with a start, and 


PARTNERS THREE 233 

I could see that it cost her an effort to control 
her attention. 

When the Doctor appeared for his break- 
fast, he was haggard and hollow-eyed, too. The 
thoughts that kept him company in the night 
must have been as comfortless as mine. He was 
struck immediately by Tony’s appearance and 
spoke of it tenderly. She answered him as she 
had me, and insisted it was nothing. 

At ten o’clock, George arrived. He greeted 
us in a suppressed, self-conscious way which be- 
trayed his agitation. Tony had gone to the 
kitchen, so the Doctor answered George’s un- 
asked question by indicating silently that she 
was there. He then announced that he had a 
couple of errands to do and begged George to 
excuse him. He glanced over at me, with mean- 
ing, and suggested that I might like to accom- 
pany him. George grasped the Doctor’s hand, 
as we were leaving, and pressed it fervently. I 
slipped out into the hall, as quickly as I could, 
without waiting for the Doctor. The sight of 
George and that handclasp, under the circum- 
stances, was too painful. The Doctor came 
out a moment later, and I followed him down 
the stairs. 

We walked the streets together until we 
found ourselves at Washington Square — then 


234 PARTNERS THREE 

in it and about it, up and down, hither and 
thither, not caring where we were or where we 
went. The Doctor was silent, for the first few 
moments, then he began to talk. He started in 
to tell me about some experiences of his stu- 
dent days at Heidelberg. Why he should have 
chosen this topic, I can not tell. It was apropos 
of nothing — out of a clear sky. Anything 
would do, I suppose — the more remote the bet- 
ter — anything that would keep our minds from 
that one agonising thought — George alone 
there with Tony, asking her to be his wife! 

So the Doctor, when he had once begun on 
the subject of Heidelberg, kept on talking. 
First it was one thing, then another. It was all 
very curious and interesting. At any time but 
this, I would have followed every word of it 
with delight. But now, all the while, I could 
not help being conscious of what lay behind 
his volubility. He was like the soldier in the 
story, whose leg was being sawed off and who 
sang the same song, over and over again, to 
keep from flinching. Several times, the Doc- 
tor looked at his watch. Then, finally, we left 
the park and turned our faces toward home. 

After we crossed Sixth Avenue, he said noth- 
ing more. He seemed to set his teeth and 
looked straight ahead of him, noticing noth- 
ing. Unconsciously, he increased his pace, until 
it was all I could do to keep up with him. When 


PARTNERS THREE 235 

we reached Eighth Avenue, he slowed up sud- 
denly, and seemed to hesitate. He glanced 
down at me, in a curious way, as if to make 
sure that I was really beside him. Then he 
halted, consulted his watch again, gave a look 
about and pressed his hand down heavily over 
his eyes and face. We were only a block from 
home, now, and, without a word, he started on 
toward it, with quiet determination. 

When we entered our apartment, nobody was 
there but Tony. She was in the sitting-room, 
seated by the window, and for a moment she 
seemed to take no notice of our presence. Then 
she moved her head a little, got up slowly and 
stood by the window, without looking at us. 

George had gone-^there was no mistake 
about that. After glancing about, to make sure, 
the Doctor advanced a couple of steps, slowly, 
toward Tony, and waited for her to turn and 
speak. She made no movement. Her head was 
bent and she continued to stand there, looking 
down. At last, the silence was broken by the 
Doctor. 

“ Has George gone? ” he said, in a low, 
thick voice that came with effort. Tony nodded 
her head, with a little jerk. She did not turn 
and she uttered no sound. The silence contin- 
ued. The Doctor waited a long while. Then 
he spoke again. 

“ Tony? ” 


236 PARTNERS THREE 

She did not turn or answer. It was the first 
and only time in her life that she failed to re- 
spond to his call. 

“ Tony ? ” he repeated, moving a little 

toward her. 

She began to speak, without turning, in a 
muffled, broken voice, which was heartrending. 
“ He said you knew . . . He said it would 

make you . . . happy ... He said you 
wished me to ... to marry him ... Is 
it true?” 

“ If you love him, Tony . . . I ” He 

got that far and stopped. Tony turned and 
looked at him. And oh, that look ! — the pathos, 
the misery, the utter hopelessness and humiliation 
of it ! — It was something never to be forgotten 
— something to haunt your soul for years! 

“ It was true, then ! ” she muttered. The 
voice was no longer hers. It sounded like the last 
gasp of some poor creature that was stricken 
and dying. 

“ George — is a fine young fellow — He might 
make any girl happy — He told me — I ” 

Tony did not wait for him to finish. She 
gave a little moan, caught her hand to her 
breast, staggered across to her own room and 
flung herself in, closing the door behind her. 

Half an hour later, she reappeared. She was 


PARTNERS THREE 237 

dressed for the street and had on a veil which 
covered her face. 

“ I’m going to my grandmother,” she said, 
in a thin, chill voice. 

That was all. In another moment she had 
left us. 

We did not see Tony again. The end of that 
week, she sailed with her grandmother for 
Prance. All that we knew was that she had been 
taken ill — too ill to see any one — and her grand- 
mother had decided to get her away, as quickly 
as possible, to home comforts, and the care of 
French physicians. 


CHAPTER XXII 


I T is very difficult and painful to write 
about the days that followed — the weeks 
and months of utter emptiness and 
black, heartbreaking despair. The change 
that came over the Doctor was terrible to be- 
hold. It was like the collapse of some beautiful 
edifice. All those glorious qualities that filled 
you with wonder and admiration — the pride, 
the strength, the buoyant hopefulness and 
dauntless confidence — were gone to ruin. A 
sense of uselessness and desolation was all that 
remained in their place. 

For a short time, after Tony went, the Doc- 
tor fought hard to make the best of it. He 
tried to delude himself and delude me. He pre- 
tended to think that what had happened was 
only the inevitable — it was bound to come, 
sooner or later — and now that it was over, we 
must accept it gracefully and try to remem- 
ber only the sweet side of it. For a few days, 
he hardly referred to Tony at all — he seemed 
to avoid the mention of her name. He thought, 
perhaps, the wound would heal over. He re- 
doubled his kindness and affection for me. He 
took me more fully into his confidence than ever 
238 


PARTNERS THREE 239 

before, about his inventions and dazzling plans 
for our future. We were to stay together al- 
ways and he made me understand that my de- 
velopment and education would, from now on, 
be his greatest concern. We would travel the 
world together, so that I might see and draw 
inspiration from the latest, the best, the noblest 
works of man. 

It was a sort of bravado — the last bright 
flicker of a dying flame. One morning, he 
went out, about eleven o’clock, and did not re- 
turn until nearly midnight. He had been drink- 
ing heavily and, when he staggered into the 
sitting-room, he was half out of his mind. I 
sat up all night with him, there, in the sitting- 
room. He talked about Tony. All delusion 
was at an end. I listened and caught my 
breath, and choked and cried with him, as he 
talked on and on. The flood gates were open 
wide, at last, and he poured out the whole 
agony of his innermost soul. 

People often talk of love, but how many of 
them know what it really means? I had had 
some suspicion of what the Doctor was going 
through, but I never could have imagined the 
awfulness of it, if I had not heard those cries 
wrung from his heart. That was the moment 
of revelation, which showed me what love could 
be — what love is — when it takes root in the 
depths of a big, sensitive man. 


2 4 o PARTNERS THREE 

He had not realised it himself, while Tony 
was there. He would have gone on in blissful 
ignorance, enjoying the sunshine of her pres- 
ence, without stopping to consider what it 
meant. She had crept into his life so softly 
and slowly, without a stir. But she had grown 
and grown, until she filled it all. She had be- 
come the light, the joy, the very soul and es- 
sence of every thought and feeling. With her 
about him, life was everything — he could con- 
quer the world ; without her, nothing mattered. 
There was nothing to hope for. He was a mis- 
erable, broken reed. 

After that night, the Doctor’s vitality and 
courage seemed utterly gone. He did not leave 
his bed for many days. He lay there weak, 
weary and absent-minded, indifferent to every- 
thing, and seemingly incapable of effort. He 
accepted with docility the food I gave him, and 
thanked me feebly for my solicitude and atten- 
tion. He had no wish or will — except after 
the first visit from Mrs. Jowls. He told me 
not to let her come in again. He could not 
stand it. 

I suggested getting a physician, but he would 
not hear of it. There was nothing the matter 
with him, he said, — nothing but weariness. His 
nerves were a little out of kilter. All that he 
wanted was rest. He’d soon be himself again. 


PARTNERS THREE 241 

He did get better, gradually. He would get 
up at times and dress himself — usually in the 
afternoon — and walk about listlessly, or sit in 
the sitting-room. Sometimes he would take up 
a book and try to read, or he would call for 
a pencil and paper and start to make calcula- 
tions. But he soon put them aside and sat 
most of the time, with head bowed down, gazing 
wearily into space. 

George had left New York and gone back to 
Mexico. We had a line from him telling us this, 
before he went away. After that, we had no 
news of him. 


CHAPTER XXIII 


T HE time has come for me to tell 
about the scheme I had hit upon, 
for making money, and how I put 
it into operation. It was nothing 
to be proud of, and I suppose there must be 
something wrong in my make-up that I could 
undertake such a thing, or be willing to speak 
of it. But I am not going to lie to myself, or 
assume the pose of a hypocrite. I committed 
a crime and I can not plead ignorance. I 
knew perfectly well what I was about. All I 
can say is that I must be built that way — for 
even now, after nearly three years of prison, 
I can not feel repentance. If the same circum- 
stances were repeated, and I could see no other 
way, I would do it again and take my chances. 

There was nothing left of George’s five hun- 
dred dollars — most of the bills were still un- 
paid — and something had to be done. The 
Doctor had to have food; he was in no condi- 
tion to be pursued by his creditors, and I 
couldn’t see him turned out into the street. 
The situation seemed so desperate that I was 
ready to undertake anything, willing to brave 
any consequences, if only I could succeed in 
shielding my benefactor from further harm, 
242 


PARTNERS THREE 243 

My scheme was simply to make a counterfeit 
fifty-cent piece — out of real silver. I argued 
that counterfeit coins are usually detected 
because they are made of lead and do not ring 
true, when thrown on a counter. If I made my 
coins of real silver, I did not believe that any 
slight imperfections in design would ever be 
noticed. They would ring true, and have the 
right size and weight, so why shouldn’t they be 
used indefinitely — for fifty or a hundred years 
— and no one the wiser? I could buy a Mexican 
dollar for forty-seven or forty-eight cents, and 
there was enough silver in it to make two fifty- 
cent pieces. In that way, every half-dollar I 
made would cost me less than a quarter. 

Counterfeiting is a crime. I knew that. If 
I were discovered, I would be sent to prison. 
I knew that, too. But my mind had been so 
tortured with thoughts of the Doctor’s suffer- 
ing and the prospects of worse to come that 
nothing else seemed to count. Here was a 
chance to help him,, and help him I would! 
What mattered it, if I did take a risk of punish- 
ment ? 

One thing troubled me. I had a feeling that 
the Doctor, himself, would not approve of what 
I was about to do. In all my actions, thus 
far, I had tried so hard to be worthy of his 
teachings and his trust. I didn’t want to end 
up by being a disappointment to him. But, 


244 PARTNERS THREE 

in the first place, I hoped he need never know 
about it — and then, after all, I was only a work- 
house boy. That made a difference. If our 
positions had been reversed — if he were a boy 
like me, and the one he loved best and owed 
everything to, were in trouble, I wasn’t sure — 
he might do it, too. In any case, it couldn’t 
bring harm to anybody but me, and if I was 
willing to take the consequences — ! It was 
the only way I could think of — the best I could 
do — so I closed my mind resolutely to doubts 
and misgivings and went ahead. 

I made a mould — first in wax and plaster of 
Paris, and finally in steel. I chiselled and en- 
graved this very slowly and carefully, with as 
much skill as I could. The result was even 
better than I had counted on, or hoped for. 
It would require a very close examination, in- 
deed, to discover any difference between my de- 
sign and the original. The worst points of my 
work were in the curve of the chin and the bot- 
tom of the ear, on the face of the coin, but, 
even there, the variation was comparatively 
slight. After much experimenting, I rigged my 
dies on a crude frame or press that answered 
the purpose. A Bunsen burner, attached to the 
gas-jet, gave me all the heat I needed to melt 
the silver. I began with two Mexican dollars, 
which I bought at a money broker’s office on 
Wall Street, for ninety-eight cents. That night 


PARTNERS THREE 245 

I turned them into four new, shining, half-dol- 
lars. It seemed almost too good to be true. 
But there they were, lined up on the table, 
gleaming back at me triumphantly ! They 
looked so bright that I feared) they would 
challenge attention, so I rubbed and smudged 
them down into dullness. The next morning, I 
hurried out to the drug-store and asked for a 
two-cent stamp. My heart thumped, as I 
handed in one of my coins to the girl at the 
desk. Almost without looking at it, she slipped 
it into the box, and handed me out my change. 
I next went to the Eighth Street station of the 
elevated road and bought a ticket. The ticket 
and forty-five cents were shoved out to me, 
without a word. I bought another postage- 
stamp, at a different store, and another ele- 
vated ticket at the Fourteenth Street station. 
I now had a dollar and eighty-six cents in 
change, two stamps, and two tickets, which car- 
ried me down to Wall Street and back, without 
extra charge. That night, I made eight half- 
dollars and, in a few days, I had more silver 
on hand than I could handle. I did not en- 
counter the slightest difficulty in spending my 
money; never a question was raised concern- 
ing it. The only difficulty was in making and 
changing it fast enough. But as the days and 
weeks went on, I became quite expert at this. 
I had plenty of money to meet our daily wants 


246 PARTNERS THREE 

and, little by little, I began paying off the most 
pressing debts. 

The Doctor, of course, had no suspicion of 
what I was doing. It never even occurred to 
him to inquire how I was able to buy so many 
things, or why our creditors refrained from 
bothering him. He never gave much thought 
to such matters, even when he was well. In the 
state he was now in, much stranger things might 
have happened, without arousing his atten- 
tion. 

In connection with this scheme of mine, there 
is one point I have not mentioned. I have hesi- 
tated about referring to it. I would feel more 
comfortable, now, if I could have forgotten it. 
But my one aim, from the beginning, has been 
to tell the truth, and I will adhere to it. I 
have allowed it to appear, thus far, that this 
scheme for making money was my own concep- 
tion. That is not quite true. The idea of it 
really came from the Doctor — it flashed from 
his mind spontaneously, a long time before, in 
one of his wonderful moments. He had been 
questioning me, in the early days, about how I 
came to be sent to the House of Refuge. When 
I had told him about Monsieur Vipont and the 
counterfeit bills, he said that dishonest people 
— criminals especially — seemed lacking in intel- 
ligence. Any counterfeiter, with a little sense, 
could easily defy detection. Then he explained 


PARTNERS THREE 247 

how counterfeit coins could be made of real 
silver. The idea had made a great impression on 
me and I remembered it. Left to myself, I 
should never have been capable of thinking it 
out. The doctor meant nothing by it — he 
never dreamed of wishing any one to put it 
into practice. The responsibility is entirely 
my own. All I meant is, that I ought not to let 
the matter stand in a false light, and take credit 
to myself for the idea. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


O NE day, at the beginning of sum- 
i mer, the Doctor received a letter 
f from a Mr. Colgate — a perfect 
stranger — asking for an appoint- 
ment, on a business matter. He came and made 
a proposition to the Doctor which seemed noth- 
ing short of amazing. He had heard about 
the “ Comforting Cocktail ” and desired to ac- 
quire it. He offered five thousand dollars down 
for the Doctor’s rights and interest. There 
was something evasive, and a trifle mysterious, 
in Mr. Colgate’s attitude. He was unwilling 
to state where he had obtained the information, 
or what he intended to do with the idea when 
he obtained possession of it. It occurred to me 
that possibly Chauncey De Witt or Florence 
might be in some way behind the proposition. 
The same thought was in the Doctor’s mind, 
but, after all, that was no concern of ours. 
Mr. Colgate made the proposition, he offered 
a check for the amount, and the Doctor ac- 
cepted it on the spot. The rest had nothing to 
do with us. 

It developed, later, that we were mistaken in 
our supposition concerning Chauncey and 
248 


PARTNERS THREE 249 

Florence. They were in no way connected with 
Mr. Colgate’s visit. He was really acting in 
behalf of the Comtesse and Tony, who had 
chosen this delicate and roundabout way of 
coming to the Doctor’s assistance. At the 
time, however, we had no suspicion of this. 

Next day, I accompanied the Doctor to Mor- 
ris Heights. He deposited forty-two hundred 
dollars with the boat-builder and ordered the 
immediate construction of the new model boat, 
according to the previous plans and specifica- 
tions. From that moment, the Doctor’s interest 
in life began to revive and his condition im- 
proved rapidly. We spent a good part of our 
time at Morris Heights, for several weeks, 
until the boat was finished. The Doctor’s brain 
was set to working again, his good spirits re- 
turned and, sometimes, he would flash out at me 
wittily, in a way that made me feel the good 
old days were coming again. At any rate, life 
no longer seemed so utterly drear and hope- 
less. There was still something left to think 
about and look forward to. 

One thing I noticed — he never laughed any 
more. Through those days and weeks, I waited 
in vain, to hear that golden sound. It had gone 
away with Tony. As time wore on, I made up 
my mind it would never come again — no matter 
how long he lived, that part of him was dead 
forever. 


250 PARTNERS THREE 

On the third of June, I had received a letter 
from Tony. It was written from a villa in the 
south of France. She had been quite ill, but 
she was getting better. That day, she had had 
her first walk, and the doctors were allowing 
her to do things. Now her grandmother had 
fallen ill, too, — quite seriously. Tony hadn’t 
forgotten us, she said, and even the beautiful 
Mediterranean Sea, which sparkled beneath her 
window, didn’t make her happy — not a bit. She 
begged me to write her a long letter and tell 
her just how we were, and all about the inven- 
tions, and Mrs. Jowls, and everything. 

I did what she asked. I sent her a long, dis- 
jointed letter, telling her everything, just as it 
came to me, straight from my heart. I didn’t 
stop to pick and choose my words — I tried to be 
careful in what I said of the Doctor, not to re- 
veal the full extent of his condition. But how- 
ever I put it, I knew I could not deceive Tony — 
I didn’t wish to. She would read between the 
lines and understand. 

After that, no further word came from her. 


CHAPTER XXV 


I T was more than two months later, the 
sixteenth of August, that the new model 
boat was finally completed and launched, 
and ready for a trial. It was a queer- 
looking craft, I must confess. What it looked 
like, is hard to tell — with the three big air- 
tight cylinders rising out of the water, on either 
side, and a funny little boat jacked up between 
them, high out of the water, as if on stilts. 

No wonder the workmen laughed and joked 
among themselves, as they crowded to the water- 
front to witness the experiment. 

The Doctor, Mr. Kilpatrick — the boat- 
builder — and myself were put aboard of her, 
and the fires were started. The steam pressure 
ran up quickly — all was ready, and the moor- 
ings were cast off. The Doctor showed wonder- 
ful composure. I was quivering and trembling 
with the wildest excitement. The moment had 
come at last — the great moment which, I felt 
sure, was going to make history. The Doctor 
had his hand on the stop-cock; Mr. Kilpatrick 
was forward near the bow; I sat in the stern. 
“All clear in front?” asked the Doctor. 

“ All ready, sir,” replied the boat-builder, 

251 


252 PARTNERS THREE 

There was a moment of tense suspense. Then, 
with a quick movement, the Doctor threw open 
the valve. 

A rumble ... a hiss of steam . . . 

a little jerk . . . and then 

nothing happened. There was a sputter of 
steam, in the water behind, and the boat drifted 
forward, very slowly. That was all. There 
was not even enough headway to make the 
cylinders revolve. 

After a few moments, the Doctor crept back 
and peered over the stern at the water. 

“ I have it ! ” he cried. “ I have it ! The 
steam condenses when it hits the water and loses 
its force. That’s it, of course. It couldn’t be 
otherwise ! 99 

He showed a momentary animation in mak- 
ing the discovery. Under any and all circum- 
stances, he derived satisfaction from the revela- 
tion of a new idea. Then, he turned and met 
my gaze, cocking his eyebrow, with that old 
whimsical expression. 

“Well, Pie,” he said slowly, “here we are! 
What are we going to do about it? — We may 
as well acknowledge that we’ve made a mistake.” 

It was a complete failure, a bitter, crushing 
disappointment. 


CHAPTER XXVI 

V ERY little remains to be told. To- 
morrow will be my third anniver- 
sary here. I have spent just a 
year, working over these pages, 
and I have come to the end. 

There is just one thing more to tell. 

When, late in the afternoon of that fateful 
day, we climbed up to our apartment, some 
one was there in the half light of the sitting- 
room. That some one rose up, as we entered, 
and rushed toward me, calling my name. The 
next moment, I was locked in a warm em- 
brace. 

It was Tony ! 

A moment later, she and the Doctor stood 
still and looked at each other. Not a word was 
uttered — they stood and gazed, in silence, but 
in oh, such a wonderful way! Then two little 
cries rang out and, the next instant, she had 
thrown herself, wildly, into his arms and nestled 
there tight. He called her name, with a great 
sob, that shook him convulsively, and pressing 
his cheek against hers, with heart to heart, he 
sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. . . , 


253 


254 PARTNERS THREE 

I got away as quickly as I could. It was 
something that no one should see. 

When I came back, later on, they were stand- 
ing by the window and turned to face me, to- 
gether. There was nothing they needed to tell 
me. One look was enough. Their eyes were 
swimming with blissful, ecstatic happiness. 
They would never pine for each other again. 
They were together, at last — heart and soul — 
forever. 

Tony’s grandmother had died, before my let- 
ter reached her. There was no one else in the 
world that she belonged to, now, or need think 
about, but the Doctor. 

There was nothing to wait for — no one to 
consult — and so they got married, the next 
morning, very quietly, at The-Little- Church 
Around-the-Corner. After that, they went off 
on a short trip — their honeymoon. I was to 
wait for them, in the apartment, and on their 
return, it was decided, they would set sail for 
France, taking me with them. According to 
French law, it was necessary for them to be 
married again in France, and there were other 
matters requiring their presence, in connection 
with Tony’s estate. 

Before they returned from their honeymoon, 
I was arrested and locked up in the Tombs. It 


PARTNERS THREE 255 

was done very quietly and neatly, without the 
slightest warning. I had no inkling of what led 
to my discovery, but it turned out that Mrs. 
Jowls was directly responsible. I have referred, 
before, to her faculty of finding out everything 
that took place beneath her roof. She had fer- 
reted out my moulds and my silver and, of 
course, couldn’t be expected to keep such a secret 
to herself. 

Fortunately, all news of my arrest was kept 
from the public, for a time, while investigations 
were being made. Thanks to this, I was able to 
practise a deception on the Doctor and Tony. 
I wrote them a letter, telling them how I was 
unexpectedly obliged to go away from New 
York and be absent some time. I gave them 
a fictitious address, in the far West, and asked 
them to write me, when they reached France, 
so that I could communicate with them, as 
soon as I knew more about my plans. It was 
very clumsy and flimsy and incoherent, but it 
was the only way that occurred to me. I could 
not bear to spoil their happiness, at such a time, 
by telling them the truth. 

They went to France, without suspecting, 
and it was some months later, before they found 
out what had become of me. 

They did not reproach me — they understood 
and forgave me, and encouraged me to be brave. 
They are living quite near me now, in a beautiful 


256 PARTNERS THREE 

place at White Plains, which is theirs, and 
which I can hardly wait to see. 
a They have been here to visit me, many times, 
and hardly a day passes that I am not moved to 
tears, by some new proof of their love and devo- 
tion. 


CHAPTER XXVII 


T WO letters have just come from 
them. My eyes are wet. Tony’s is 
written in pencil. This is how it 
begins : 

Pie Dear: 

The greatest blessing in the world has just 
been given us — a little boy — the most beautiful, 
heavenly baby that ever existed! And, Pie 
dear, only think, he has beautiful hair like 
yours — golden red hair, and a wonderful lot 
of it! We’ve named him Philip II way Ennis — 
P. I. E. — and you’re to be his godfather. He’s 
promised to wait for you. The Doctor thought 
of it, first — He always thinks first of every- 
thing — But oh, I’m so glad! We picked out 
the names together. Philip was my father’s 
name, and Ilway is a family name of the Doc- 
tor’s, on his mother’s side. So you see, we’re 
all together in our happiness. I only hope, 
Pie dear, that he’ll grow up as true, and brave, 
and sensitive, and fine in every way, as his 
godfather. 

This is the Doctor’s : 

Dear Pie : 

It’s a boy, and a bouncer ! He has the ap- 
257 


258 PARTNERS THREE 

pearance of a philosopher, and a luxuriant head 
of hair like yours. I expect great things of 
him. His name is Philip Ilway Ennis — figure it 
out for yourself. If you don’t like the names, 
you’ll have to put up with them, but blame 
Tony. It was her idea 

Were there ever two others like them? Was 
there ever another such union, so perfect, so 
ideal? They were meant for each other, from 
the beginning. Something told me — I’m sure of 
it, now. And I’m sure there will always be a 
place for me in the corner of their hearts. 

So my dream has come true, after all — my 
beautiful, cherished dream ! 


THE END 




























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